And So It Begins
by TheRoseShadow21
Summary: 2032,Hope's Peak's centenary. The spotlight on this world-famous school is shining brighter than ever as the celebrations get underway. But bright lights result in dark shadows, and for a small group of students, this year will be one that sends them down a path from which there is no return. AU, rating may change to M at some point, (SYOC CLOSED). Cover art done by me.
1. Prologue

It is like any other April morning. Soft spring sunshine, a gentle breeze, cherry blossom spinning off the trees and dropping gently onto the earth. You are walking down the street clad in clean, crisp school uniform, bag heavy with books and lunch and all the things you need for the first day of the school year, blending in with the stream of other teenagers walking down this very street. Others are getting off the bus at the nearby bus-stop, others waiting around and staring at their phones having clearly made arrangements to meet with others, yet more others careening out of the train station. This is a scene being repeated many, many times over in many variations, all over the country. This is not a particularly extraordinary moment, you yourself do not particularly stand out.

But at the same time, you do.

For the school you and the many others are heading towards is no ordinary school, but Hope's Peak Academy, that large, sprawling, internationally known behemoth that was started with the aim of discovering and fostering teenage talent in an attempt to improve society. And improve society it did. Many, many success stories have come out of Hope's Peak-many entertainment personalities (some of whom you're a big fan of, yourself), many people who have gone on to cure diseases or invent something game-changing, many people who have influenced the way the world lived. Other countries view Japan as a world power now because of it, and some have even opened their own Hope's Peak Academies-many run by alumni from the original. There is the Reserve Course, too, but that is a completely different story, though still significant in its own way.

Either way, Hope's Peak Academy is quite possibly the most prestigious high school in the world, let alone Japan, and as a student of said school, you are now a part of all that history. Which is how you know that not only are you most definitely not just another high school student heading to school on the first day of the year, but that this is no ordinary year of this extraordinary school. No, this year is special, more than special.

It is the 100th anniversary of the school.

The precise day the school opened one hundred years ago was actually the fourth of April, but this year it falls on a Sunday, so that anniversary is being celebrated today instead. But the entire year itself is a big one-in the weeks leading up to it, everyone online has been posting about it, the news constantly reminded viewers of it and everyone who knows you has somehow found this out and have not failed to stop reminding you. Even now, as you're walking, you can hear some of your fellow students talking about it. And as you finally get to the street the school is located on, you can see signs of the celebrations beginning. There is a colourful banner with gold lettering proclaiming "100 YEARS" strung up across the gate, and another similar one high on the front of the building. But in front of the gates, there is a small film crew set up, and a person who appears to be the presenter or journalist-you lean towards presenter, considering the surprising lack of news vans-is interviewing a student-a Main Course one, to be specific.

As you get closer, the presenter finishes with the person, lets them rush into the school, and starts to look around. The presenter focuses on a Reserve Course student getting out of their car at first, and you take that opportunity to just slip into the rapidly growing crowd and get through the gates, but all of a sudden there is a hand on your shoulder and a voice asking:

"Excuse me, do you have a minute?"

You freeze at the sensation, and turn around to see the presenter smiling beatifically at you. _Well, so much for that._ As you subtly shrug their hand off and step back a step, you wonder what happened with the other student-were they deemed too unimportant, or did they just refuse? You also wonder why, of all the students from both courses that are currently flocking towards the building, you were the next one considered the most amenable towards being interviewed.

 _Ah, I suppose it can't be helped._

"I suppose." You answer neutrally, already thinking of what you say.

"Great!" the presenter asks. "It won't take long, I promise. Thank you so much!"

The presenter goes on to explain that a documentary series is being made about this anniversary, and about the impact the school has had on the world in those 100 years, and that it will be filmed across the course of the year. All you need to do at this stage, is give your name and course and class, and answer a brief question, and while you did not particularly want to be filmed at this time of morning, this does not seem so bad, though you do sidestep the question of being featured in other parts of the documentary later in the year. Once the preliminaries are out of the way, you are filmed, and you try your best to appear as relaxed and natural as you can, as you give an answer that will satisfy the presenter but doesn't take up too much of your time, an answer that is not whole truth but not a lie either. When you're allowed to go, it's a relief, and you barely allow the presenter to thank you before you are rushing away, aiming to disappear inside as soon as possible. You cannot help but smirk as you hear the presenter corner someone else-a male student, from the annoyed 'what the hell' you hear clearly over the hubbub, but you quickly forget it, and look around you.

There are yet more banners here and there, and even streamers woven into the trees. A teacher is handing out little gold badges in the shape of the number "100" and you accept one gracefully as you keep walking, kicking up both cherry blossom petals and confetti. After going through a courtyard, the babble of students is starting to divide into two-Main Course going towards one building, Reserve Course to another, though there's still a little mixing going on. Quickly, efficiently, you turn and head towards the building you're supposed to go to, observing your surroundings as you do. A sign hung around the statue of the Hope's Peak founder catches your eye, but you decide for now it is better to find a good seat in the hall for the entrance ceremony, so you continue in.

Recognising various faces, you exchange greetings and make small talk all the way up to the hall, and from there, you're on your own. Here, too, bears signs of celebration-a huge banner across the stage that looks a lot like the one that is hung across the front of the building, streamers hung up everywhere, even gold and silver balloons held down by weights in the corners of the halls. Even the chairs set out for you all are tied up with sparkly ribbons tied into elaborate bows. _It's like we're going to have a party._ Though, all things considered, it's perhaps not such a crazy idea.

You look for a free seat that's not right at the front but that isn't right at the back, preferably only a few seats into the row, and thankfully you spot one, so you speed walk as quickly as you can manage to reach it, quickly plonking your bag down on as you do. A quick glance suggests nobody is going to contest you for this seat, so with a sigh of relief you take the bag off, sit down, then settle your bag on your lap…and wait.

Time goes by, you watch the flurry around you, listen to the fragments of conversation, feel the giddy, excited atmosphere get even more so. You notice there are people filming in the back, but they do not seem interested in talking, only in recording, so you do not worry too much about them. Instead, you wait and observe, your feelings churning around your head intensely.

And then, the lights dim, and your attention is taken to the stage as the chatter dies down, gradually dwindling into a heavy silence, one that weighs on you. Your hand instinctively reaches for the badge in your pocket, curling around it as though it is a charm of some sort. The dimness becomes a deep darkness, and you hold your breath until a spotlight shines on the stage, and a figure steps out. The silence becomes awed rather than tense, and the figure smiles self-effacingly as he surveys the waiting students. Then, he steps up to the microphone, and after clearing his throat, starts to speak:

"Hello, SHSL students…"

Your grip on the badge tightens, as you stare, rapt, hanging onto every word that he has to say. Suddenly, the room is giddy again with a bright, fizzing energy- you can almost _hear_ it, pretty much _feel_ it. You don't need to look around to know that everyone in the room is the same in this, and you don't need to look far to know why:

The 100th year of Hope's Peak Academy has begun.

* * *

 **So, for better or for worse, I am here with another SYOC idea. I'm sure my track record proves I am able to keep at and finish stories, but I should point out that since I am doing my teacher training right now, I will not be able to update as frequently as I have done with other stories. Still, I am super, super excited about this story, and I really hope I'll get some amazing submissions so I can get it started.**

 **Anyway, some background on the premise: As you may have surmised from the prologue and plot summary, this story takes place during the 100th year of Hope's Peak-2032/2033-, and it's a complete AU, although I am using certain aspects of canon and doing my own thing with them in this. It'll essentially be a killing-game origin story-that is to say, a story that explores how a killing game would even be thought of, and how the people responsible got to that point, against the backdrop of what is supposed to be a special year for the school. Those people, of course, being the cast you give me. Since the general idea is that these people aren't all raging psychopaths/secret SHSL Despairs with death wishes the way Junko was, I'm hoping that this will be an interesting killing-game origin story with lots of interesting dynamics. And suffering. But definitely interesting dynamics.**

 **Anyway, I am looking for a cast of 13, a mix of both SHSL students and Reserve Course students. I don't necessarily want an exact equal number (though if things turn out that way, it's good) of each, but I hope to have roughly similar amounts. The same goes with genders, not to mention classes/year groups. Anyway, I have rules and guidance below that should explain some things below, so, I'll leave you to read that, then if you decide you wish to submit to this, then the form will be put on my profile once this is up.** **  
**

 **P.S. No, the entire fic is not going to be in second person. The idea is for it to have a non-specific POV, so it could potentially apply to a member of the cast.**

 **Rules and guidance:**

**1)** **This is not first-come, first-served, but I do have a final deadline of 28/10/2018. I will accept characters gradually as I go along up until this deadline, and information about talents and various character ratios of the accepted characters will be included on my profile, and depending on how well things go the submissions may close before that date, but yeah, 28/10 is absolutely the final deadline. You will know if I've accepted your OC, as I will PM you specifically for this purpose. Though when you first send an OC, I will PM to tell you I have seen/acknowledged the app too (though, please be patient when it comes to this, considering my other commitments).**

 **2)** **While we're on the topic of things on my profile-as with SHSL Survivors' , status updates for the fic will be put there as it's easier for me to do it that way, so it is worth checking there every so often even when the SYOC is closed.**

 **3)** **NO recycled characters. Unless they were rejected elsewhere, or from a story that has either been explicitly discontinued or simply hasn't been running for at least a year, do not send characters you've sent to other stories to me. And if you get an OC accepted here, do NOT send them elsewhere. If I receive a recycled OC, _I will not acknowledge it_ , let alone accept it. If you recycle an OC you get accepted here, they will be promptly killed off and forgotten, or something similar depending on what role they had here until that point. **

**4)** **Three characters may be sent per submitter. Pairings (whether familial, romantic, work-related, whatever) are welcomed, but I will only accept two pairings at most, considering the cast is fairly small. Whether I have pairings or not will also be indicated on my profile.**

 **5)** **Submissions are to be sent by PM _only_. I will ignore review OCs. **

**6)** **Details, please. You don't have to be me and write a mini-novel, but I want effort put in(so no Mary Sues/ Gary Stus blah blah blah). And details are always good** **J**

 **7)** **If you are sending me a character with an SHSL, on the whole I'd prefer different talents to canon, but I will probably accept canon talents. I want to have AU vers of canon characters here too, but haven't finalised which ones. Though, with that being said, this AU also follows the idea that each year has an SHSL Lucky Student so that's a canon talent I'd 100% allow. I'd also prefer talents that are, well, actual talents, even if they are niche or a little suspect.  
Also, I won't be posting a submitted talents list, since it doesn't matter to me if I get repeats of talents when it's just the submissions-but make sure you look at my profile for what I've _accepted_ to be sure I haven't accepted someone with that talent already, because that's the point at which repeats matter to me. **

**8)** **Since this is a complete AU, the Tragedy and pretty much everything that happens in canon is not happening here, or at least has not happened at the point the story starts (you will see what I mean by that…eventually), so don't refer to those events in the backstory or anywhere.**

 **9)** **There is other guidance in the brackets next to various sections of the form-please make use of it to help you, but of course delete them when filling the form in for extra space. But if something does confuse you please do ask me and I'll do my best to help.**

 **10)** **Enjoy yourselves!**


	2. The Beginning of The Beginning, part 1

_Oh, it's Principal Naegi, not Principal Hinata._

Mizuki had known this was the case-after all, this wasn't the Reserve Course-but all the same, it surprised her a little to see that it was Naegi that had stepped out, that it was Naegi who was now giving them a fond smile as he began to speak.

"Hello, SHSL Students, and welcome to the start of a brand-new year. I feel so honoured to be standing here in front of so many talented young people-all of whom I know are going to make such a difference to the world."

Mizuki squirmed slightly. There was no doubt that Naegi's words were genuine-it was, after all, part of his appeal as one of the current principals-but she was more used to Hinata's more sober expression, the slight sting his words seemed to carry. Naegi's soft, honeyed tones were just too different. _It's hard to believe I am here, somewhat._

Someone a couple of rows ahead of her sneezed, and the noise distracted her from her weird feelings for a moment. She glanced over, and noticed a heavy-set girl apparently produce a packet of tissues out of nowhere, and hand it to the sneezer, who took them gratefully. Mizuki shook her head in mild amusement, then returned her attention to Naegi.

"I am also so pleased to be welcoming in the newest batch of talent-it is always such an exciting thing to do this every year, even after all this time that Principal Hinata and I have been working here. And this year is no different, really, except that as I'm sure you're all aware of, we have reached a particularly special milestone. Can somebody tell me what that is?"

Naegi paused, and looked around expectantly, waiting for an answer. This, too, was new to Mizuki. _But at least this would seem weird to most of the new students,_ she thought with some relief. Most entrance ceremony speeches did not encourage audience participation in this way. She subtly looked around her at the range of students around her, watching to see if anyone would answer. But after a few moments, it was the girl next to her-a pretty girl who wore her school blazer tied around her waist, with wavy copper hair in a ponytail and a tanned complexion-who put her hand up.

"Yes?" Principal Naegi pointed to her.

"It's the 100th Year." The girl said, putting her hand down.

"Indeed it is!" he replied, pleased. "It's Hope's Peak's centenary, and I am sure you can appreciate what a milestone that is. So, as a result, this year is going to be very special for both new and returning students. There will be many different events happening over the course of this year to celebrate, and we're going to be launching many new projects at the same time as well, all of which will benefit Hope's Peak and hopefully see it through into a bicentenary."

Naegi scratched the back of his head modestly, a motion that made it easy for Mizuki to imagine the principal as a student of this school as he had been so many years ago. A ripple of soft laughter spread out dutifully from the audience, and as Mizuki joined in she looked down at the badge in her hand, fiddling idly with it for a few seconds, before clenching her fist around it and returning her attention to the stage.

"Your homeroom tutors will, however, tell you more about that when you go there. For now, I have some words for you from Principal Hinata. Since he of course cannot be in two places at once, I had him record some words for you all, just as I recorded a small message for the Reserve Course."

 _Principal Hinata!_ was Mizuki's first thought, before: _This has never happened before, but then I suppose it's the centenary. And 50 years of the Reserve Course, too. I wonder how many people know_ that _._

Naegi stepped back, and Mizuki watched as a third-year student stepped up and directed a remote at the ceiling of the stage, causing a screen to unfurl. After it had come down completely, the student pressed a few more buttons, and sat back down again as a video started.

Hinata was sitting at a desk that Mizuki recognised as Naegi's own in the main school offices at the top of the very building she was in now, so much more opulent than the office in the Reserve Course building that she had often seen Hinata in during her time there. The golds and reds and browns were such a difference to back there, where the warmest colour had been beige. _I wonder, will that start to change. The building did look like renovations had been made when I walked by….._

Hinata stared at them from the screen with an intense gaze, and though his mouth remained straight and sober, there was a slight sparkle in his eyes that was suggestive of a smile. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, and then he began to speak:

"Good morning, Main Course Students. I….well, I don't have all that much to say that won't have already been covered by Principal Naegi by the time he plays this for me, but then again, there is a reason he's the one that writes all our speeches most of the time."

This, too, sparked some dutiful laughter, and to Mizuki's eyes, Hinata had seemed prepared for this, for the pause he took before continuing seemed enough to allow for it to die down.

"But, in any case, I am as proud and excited about this 100th year as I am sure many of you are, and I look forward to seeing it through with all of you. I'm hoping that we can really move forward in this year, and perhaps really mark a turning point in our histories where the two courses are more united than ever before. Good luck, students."

The message ended, and the screen went blank. The same third year student stood up to use the remote to send the screen back up, and then sat back down once again as Naegi returned to centre stage. He ushered on the Student Council President, whose words were, essentially, more of the same, though Mizuki noticed that the Reserve Course was not mentioned at all in this speech.

 _More united, huh? Is that really true?_ Admittedly, she knew that once, things had been worse, but to say that they were good in any way there would be a lie, and she knew that well. She'd even wager that of all the students currently in this hall, she was the one who knew the best.

 _Hopefully,_ she thought as she let the speech wash over her, _there really will be change now._

 **…**

Conversation swirled all around Mizuki as she left the hall, and though most of it blended into noise, occasionally snippets of it would reach her ears clearly, and from bits and pieces of some of these snippets, she started to notice a pattern.

"What did you think of Deputy Principal Hinata?"

And:

"Oh, it's weird, isn't it, we barely see Deputy Principal Hinata….."

And on, and, on. Of course, not everyone was talking about Hinata, but after the first time, she could not help but hear it so many other times. _Do they even realise…._ Mizuki looked around her, but of course, could identify no particular speaker, and then once again, she heard:

"Deputy Principal Hinata is happily married!"

"Oh, come off it, Prude Princess, it's just talk!"

"It's a serious matter, you know. You shouldn't be maligning such a…"

Whatever the speaker in question this time shouldn't have been maligning about Hinata – _Principal Hinata_ \- got lost in the noise once again, and as she kept walking, her frustration mounted. _This is the fifth time that they've said 'Deputy'...,_ she thought, and even as she thought that, once again she heard another snippet in which the wrong title was used.

"Why would Deputy Principal Hinata even bother though? It's meaningless, he basically belongs over there."

"Right," she muttered to herself, feeling prickly. "That's it…"

But before she could go and give whoever it was a stern talking-to, a hand on her higher shoulder made her startle, and she turned around to see the girl who had been sitting next to her in the entrance ceremony.

"You're one of the new intake, aren't you? I noticed you looked a little…lost?"

This was asked warmly, and the girl's dark brown eyes reflected that warmth.

"You've guessed correctly," Mizuki said, a little taken aback, playing with her red hair subtly to cover her shoulder a little. "But I think I'm okay. What class are you in?"

"99A, what about you?" the other girl asked.

"100A." Mizuki responded.

"Ah, so that would have been my old homeroom. I could walk you there, if you like?" The girl offered.

Mizuki shook her head.

"I am grateful for the offer, but really, don't worry about it."

The girl nodded.

"Okay, that's fine. "

She then turned and joined a small group of girls, one of whom had been waving in their direction. Mizuki left her to it, and continued walking. In truth, she did feel a little bit lost, but she hadn't been lying to the girl when she'd said that she was fine. She had been inside the building before for philanthropic purposes, and she was no stranger to the general concept of the school. And even if she had been a stranger, all she had to do was follow the students who were mostly not wearing their school uniforms, and there was a good chance that she'd find the way anyway.

Sure enough, getting to the other side of the building, she saw that there were two classrooms at the end of the corridor. The sign of the classroom right at the very end read '100A', and so Mizuki quickened her stride towards it, but the wall opposite caught her eye, and she turned to take a glance, only to see that the wall in front of her was completely packed with photographs of high school students, staring out at her. A lot of the photographs were in colour, but the quality of them varied, and there were some others in black-and-white. Each photograph had a small white card underneath with a small amount of writing on it.

 _Oh,_ Mizuki realised, _this is the Wall of Fame. The best of the best of the best._ She idly scanned the faces, recognising Naegi's, and the face of Kyosuke Munakata, who was on the HR team for the overseas Hope's Peaks, and some other members of staff she'd encountered. She was shocked, but not surprised to realise that while Hinata's photograph was not there, that of his wife-the former SHSL Gamer-was. There were other faces she recognised to varying degrees, but it startled her a little to see that one of the most recent photographs was of the girl she had just been talking to.

"Minah Kang", she read to herself, "SHSL Taekwondo Master."

 _Well, now I know her name if I encounter her again,_ Mizuki thought, and that would have been that, if not for the next photograph she recognised. The shoulder-length, red hair that curled at the ends, the upturned nose, the bright green eyes. It was unmistakably her, and the card underneath confirmed that.

… _.well then._ Mizuki stared at it for a moment, then sighed deeply, before she turned away and headed into her classroom. Most people had arrived, by the looks of it, and a lot of them were sitting and waiting, expressions varying from excited to wary. A few were talking to each other, in hushed tones, which seemed to be because the teacher was sitting at the front of the desk, reading through a sheaf of papers as she subtly surveyed them all. Mizuki found an empty seat at a desk in the middle of the desk arrangement, and as she sat down she observed the teacher herself. Somewhere in her mid-thirties, to the best of Mizuki's estimations, wearing a pencil-skirt with a frilly blouse and with bright red lipstick, she seemed to give off a somewhat stuffy impression, and Mizuki wondered if that would mean she'd be strict.

A couple of people drifted in after her, and wandered to whatever empty seats were left. Then, the teacher glanced up, before standing up. The few conversations that had been happening fell completely silent as the teacher scanned the room with an eagle-eyed gaze, before she smiled. The change in expression transformed her significantly, and Mizuki could feel the sighs of relief some of her new classmates gave around her.

"Okay, that's all of you-perfect!" she said. "We can get started. So…welcome to Hope's Peak! My name is Rinka Isawa, and I am the former SHSL Receptionist. I'll be your homeroom teacher for your time here at Hope's Peak, so hopefully we'll get along. Now…"

Isawa quickly glanced over at her notes, still at the desk, then looked back to them.

"Alright, so what we'll do is this-I will take the register, and as I say your name, please come up and tell the class your name, your talent, and perhaps your previous school if you so wish, or any simple fact about yourself. You can then collect your Electro-ID, and then we'll talk about Class Representatives before I walk you through how the Electro-IDs work and the many other things that we have to get through this morning. So, without further ado…"

Isawa briskly went back to her desk, sat down, and took the register. What should have been a somewhat arduous process of people going up, talking, taking an ID from the pile that had appeared on the desk at some point (for Mizuki had not remembered seeing it there when she had come in, though she hadn't really been looking, to be fair), was made fairly efficient thanks to Isawa quickly moving things along. A good thing, because in Mizuki's experience, ice-breakers of this variety did not always break the ice.

But even so, it was fairly interesting, listening to everyone introduce themselves. Just from the range of talents and the variety of different high schools they all professed to have come from, it was clear that they came from many walks of life. _A mark of looking for true talent, rather than just privilege. That, at least, is something._ It was not enough, but it was something.

"Mizuki Teranaga?"

"Here!"

Mizuki quickly stood up, walked up to the front, and faced her classmates.

"As Iwasa-sensei indicated, my name is Mizuki Teranaga. I am the SHSL Philanthropist, and my previous school was this one. That is to say, I was on the Reserve Course."

Though the class had of course been quiet during the register, her words seemed to turn that quietness a notch down, into silence. Eighteen pairs of eyes stared at her, incredulously.

"Are you for real?" a boy asked.

"I am certainly not imaginary." Mizuki answered briskly.

"But that's crazy, that basically never happens!" a girl said.

"I know, that's…" another student piped up.

"Alright, alright, you can ask Teranaga-san more about that later," Isawa said, clapping her hands to bring the discussion to a close, before picking up an Electro-ID from the pile and holding it out.

"There you go." She said.

Mizuki studied her for a moment-the teacher did not seem particularly perturbed _or_ particularly impressed by Mizuki's former status-then nodded.

"Thank you."

Mizuki accepted it, and walked back to her seat. She could feel the stares of the others on her, but she looked ahead as the final group of students went up, introduced themselves, and received their IDs. Once they were finished, Iwasa stood back up.

"Alright, we're off to a good start already. So now, for the next task of the day- Class Representative. Any volunteers?"

Now Mizuki looked around at her fellow students, and in much the same way, they all looked around at her and each other. Even despite their introductions, there was not enough of a sense of them, but…. _they're my classmates, and I'll be with them the whole way through. And…this could put me in a better position to be sure that the changes I want will occur._

"Anyone?" Iwasa asked as the seconds passed and nobody responded. "Do I need to pick?"

 _I'll make it work, somehow._

"No, that's okay." Mizuki put her hand up quickly. "I'll do it."

"Oh?"

Isawa regarded her in interest, then looked back out at the rest of the class.

"Are there any objections to that? Anyone else interested?"

There was no response, and Mizuki detected a faint flicker of irritation before Iwasa smiled again.

"Excellent!" she declared. "Then, Teranaga-san, you are now the Class Representative for Class 100A. I'll submit that information and then you should get meeting dates and responsibilities loaded onto your Electro-ID, is that okay?"

"That's absolutely fine."

 _It has to be._

"Good. Now, everyone, about your Electro-IDs…."

* * *

 **Characters introduced this chapter:**

 ** **Mizuki Teranaga, SHSL Philantropist (created by: Lupus Overkill)-protag!****

 ** **Minah Kang, SHSL Taekwondo Master (created by: CandiedStars)****

 ** **((I also gave vague hints about the other two accepted characters in the chapter-see if you can find them))****

 **This seemed like a good place to leave this chapter, so, yeah. I'm not even entirely sure how I managed to get this chapter done so quickly (I only started writing it on Sunday), but I'm generally speaking not going to have super-speedy updates on this so I'm pleased to have got this out. I'm hoping that generally I will update once or twice a month, especially once the SYOC is closed, with a slightly increased frequency during school hols, but we will see.**

 **But ANYWAY. Lovely people whose OCs were intro-ed this chapter, what do you think of my portrayal of your characters at this very early stage? All you lovely people, regardless of whether you have an OC in this or not-w** **hat do you think so far?** **What interests you so far about Hope's Peak and whatever you can glean about how the school works in this story? What do you like or dislike in general? If you are able to, please leave feedback! And of course, the SYOC is still open so if you haven't submitted a character, or if you've only submitted one and you feel you can do two more, then by all means go for it!**

 **Until next time ^.^**


	3. The Beginning of The Beginning, part 2

As she got her Electro-ID out from the pocket she had made sure to stash it in carefully, the ordinariness of the moment struck Keiko. Their homeroom teacher Takagi, sitting patiently as everyone looked through their IDs with practised hands and compared their timetables to each other, the chatting going around. It was basically a mirror of the year before. If someone had taken a photo of this moment, and the equivalent last year, they probably would have looked near-identical. Not that photography was Keiko's strong suit, but she was fairly sure of that at least.

The only real thing that was different were the small gold badges pinned to various students' blazers, winking whenever they caught the sunlight from the window. Keiko wasn't wearing hers, because it wasn't a very child-friendly badge design, but she had it safely in her bag, because then she could take it to her dorm room at the end of the day and then…. _what, exactly?_ She didn't really know what she was meant to do with it, or why they had given them out in the first place.

 _Well, it's probably nothing to worry about now. On the other hand…_

Sighing, she tapped the screen to get to the timetable, and tapped on the 'lesson schedule' tab, and looked through, memorising this week's schedule before idly flicking through to get an overview of the year. Overall, there were less scheduled lessons than the year before, and even less than first year, which of course wasn't a surprise. _Yes, that's all fine, but the important thing is…._ Keiko's finger hovered over the 'Talent Development Schedule', and she had to pause for a moment, steeling herself before she tapped it. The schedule loaded immediately, and she closed her eyes for a moment before looking at it.

The first week had four blocks of time labelled as 'Lab Time'- _Tuesday 1-3, Wednesday 8:30-11:00, Thursday 2-5, Saturday 10-12….the same as last year._ Keiko looked over it, to make sure that she wasn't missing anything, but no. There were only four blocks of lab time, at exactly the same times as last year. But unlike last year, the lab blocks weren't the only events on her Talent Development Schedule. This time, there was something new, the writing crammed in small, and Keiko had to double-tap on one of those boxes, the one that took up the entirety of Friday afternoon:

 _Dorm Laundry Duties (on-campus)-Taking charge of the laundry room to make sure that all the laundry done by our dorm students has been done properly, and advise them on anything laundry-related they may need assistance with._

Keiko felt her blood drain away from her, and she double tapped twice more to bring up the square on Saturday afternoon, and it was much the same, except referring to the off-campus dorms instead. _Is this…is this for real?_ But flicking through the weeks, just to be sure, it turned out that she was. Apart from the week before a Talent Test-of which there were 4 this year-she was being assigned to manage the laundry of both sets of dorms. _Deep breath, Keiko, deep breath now. What did you expect?_

"Oh, Usui-san, what lab times do you have?" the girl at the desk to her left asked suddenly.

Keiko quickly affixed a (hopefully) placid smile to her face and turned to the girl.

"The same as last year-what about you, Tatsumi-chan?" she asked politely.

"Oh, I've mostly got the same as last year, but they swapped my Tuesday mornings with Monday so I'm basically in the lab all day on Mondays, and they've extended my Thursday by an hour or so, so now I'm 8:30-12:30. "

Tatsumi grinned broadly as she announced this, a grin of pure joy that wouldn't have looked out of place on her little cousins' faces, and yet she couldn't help but read a sense of gloating from it. _My talent means I am more worthy of lab time than you are,_ Tatsumi's smile seemed to say to her.

"Oh, that's nice. " Keiko said.

"It is, isn't it! Hopefully I'll be able to blow the roof off Hope's Peak this year-not literally, of course!" Tatsumi laughed at herself. "But, you know, it's a big year, may as well try and do something even bigger to match!"

Keiko attempted to formulate a suitably encouraging but bland answer, but Tatsumi had already become bored with her, and had turned to another of their classmates to continue eagerly chatting.

 _A big year? Maybe for you, but for me?_

The subtle sound of Takagi clearing their throat prevented Keiko from tunnelling too far down that particular line of reasoning, and she locked the screen of her ID and placed it on the desk as she dutifully returned her attention back to the teacher.

"Alright, I guess that's all fine, isn't it? Everyone's timetables displaying perfectly and all that."

Takagi didn't bother to wait for a response, instead giving a big yawn before continuing on.

"Okay, so Principal Naegi's looking to launch this new project that he's calling the 'Talent Exchange Plan'."

"What's that meant to mean, Sensei?"

"Woah, woah, I'm getting to that." Takagi said languidly. "It's supposed to 'foster connections' between you guys and the Reserve Course by pairing those of you who are willing to pass the skills of your talent on to those who may want to learn those skills. Nobody's expecting that this'll turn them into SHSLs like you, but the general idea is that you guys, being experts in your fields, are also expected to be experts in tutoring in your field. Does any of that make sense?"

 _Somehow,_ Keiko thought as she idly redid one of her looped plaits before it became completely loose, _it's hard to imagine any student wanting to become an expert in doing their laundry. Not when they can just pass on the chore to a readymade expert._

"Sensei?" a classmate asked.

"Yes?"

"This isn't, like, a compulsory activity, is it?" the classmate enquired.

"Yeah, I don't want to have to hang around with any of those wannabes." Another classmate protested.

A small group of students also chimed in with agreement, and Keiko just watched and waited, feeling twitchy. Takagi waited too, and then eventually, when they died down, he yawned again and continued.

"Well, technically, no-you just sign up if you want to, which I'll get onto in a moment. But while you don't _actually_ have to do it and I'd personally say you shouldn't bother, Principal Naegi in particular is very enthusiastic about this venture, and if you do it right, it will count towards your pass-marks for your final Talent Test along with the scores you get on the previous three. So…do what you want with that. But anyway…"

Takagi picked up a sheaf of green papers from the desk and held them aloft, looking thoroughly bored as he did so.

"So, if you are interested for some reason, you fill in one of these forms, and then you can either hand it in to me and I will get it to Principal Naegi or Deputy Principal Hinata, or you can deliver it to them directly. But if you're not wild about paper, you can access an electronic version via your IDs and send it to them that way. Either way, that must be done by next Monday. Then they will go through your forms and those of the Reserve Course students, pair you up-or possibly trio you up, since depending on how much reception this project gets you may end up tutoring two students-then get you two connected and a first meeting set up via messages on your ID and then you take things from there.

"Now, I can just move straight onto the next announcement or I could give you some time to stare at these and try to work out whether they really are worth your time first. What do you prefer?"

"I want to take a look first!" one student called out.

"Yeah, me too!"

"I, too, would like a moment to size this up."

"Ah, I don't honestly care, you do what you want."

More students shared their opinion, but Keiko waited quietly, saying nothing, making sure her face revealed nothing. Eventually, the chatter died down, and Takagi shrugged.

"Alright then, so….ah, Usui-san, you're a helpful one! Hand these out for me?"

"Of course, Takagi-sensei."

Quickly, she got up, and walked up to the desk. Takagi handed her the sheaf of papers, and she went around the desks, handing them out, nodding and smiling placidly when some of her classmates thanked her, pretending not to notice when they didn't. Though the classroom was spacious and she knew that she technically wasn't fat, she subtly tried to make herself as small as possible as she weaved efficiently between the desks, and hated herself for a moment when it didn't work. But she made sure her face didn't show it, instead concentrating on making sure all her classmates got a sheet, then taking a spare for herself and depositing it on her desk, going to return the few spares to Takagi before finally sitting back down again, and looking at her sheet as she got a pen out from her bag.

The first few questions were basic-name, talent, class. Without really thinking about it, Keiko filled those in, then stared at the next questions:

 _Why do you want to join the Talent Exchange Plan?_

 _What skills based on your talent would you like to pass on to another student?_

 _How would you plan to pass your skills on?_

 _When are you available for Talent Exchange Meetings?_

 _Anything else you wish to tell us about your application for the Talent Exchange Plan?_

She tapped her pen against the first of those questions, and considered. _Do I want to join? Do I really?_ She knew the answer to that-an image of her slowly and deliberately scrunching up the paper in her inelegantly unfeminine hands and slowly and deliberately throwing it in the bin circled around and around in her mind. But she could not do that, she would never do that. It would not be becoming, and it would be ungrateful.

So instead, she sat there, staring at the sheet, tapping her pen against it, pretending that all she was doing was thinking of what to write, when really, all she was trying to do was stop the walls from closing in on her too quickly.

 **…**

Minah looked around the canteen as she went through with her friends. The room was decorated with banners on the walls, and just like at the entrance ceremony, there were balloon bundles in the corners. She also spotted a cameraperson discreetly moving around the edges of the room, which made her cringe, just a little. It had felt more than awkward in the morning on the way back in, getting caught by the interviewer at the front of the gate. She could imagine the hubbub it'd cause when whatever portion of the programme that would go in was aired on TV.

 _Still, I suppose it could be worse,_ she thought, recalling the throngs of people that had followed her around when she'd first arrived. The only person that'd had it worse was the blogger from 99B, and to the best of her knowledge, he had trouble. But looking around, she didn't see him anywhere at all, which made her feel relieved.

"What are you going to eat, Minah-san?" one of her friends asked.

"I'm not sure, I need something that'll give me energy." She said. "After all, there's the club recruitment activities today after school."

"Oh, yeah, of course!" her friend laughed.

"There'll be something for you anyway, there's always loads there." Her other friend mused. "Do you think they've changed the menu?"

"No way of knowing until we go look!" a third friend said. "I've got lunch with me for the first day, shall I save us a table?"

"Oh yes, you absolute star!"

"Yes, that would be good." Minah agreed.

The third friend gave them all a salute, and rushed off. Minah followed her friends to the line and scanned the menu. After some thought, she went for some vegetable pasta with a citrusy sauce, alongside some fruit and yoghurt, and a glass of water. As she'd chosen much quicker than her friends, she went up to pay, and almost collided into someone she recognised.

"Oh! Hello, erm….sorry, I don't think I found out your name." Minah apologised to the younger red-haired girl.

"Mizuki Teranaga, SHSL Philanthropist. I didn't get your name, but I think I noticed you on the Wall of Fame outside my homeroom. Are you Minah Kang?"

"Yes, that's right." Minah said, slightly surprised. "You're observant."

Mizuki shrugged slightly, making Minah notice that her shoulders seemed somewhat hunched and uneven. _A health condition of some sort?_ She put the thought aside-it didn't much matter. She paid for her food and thanked the staff member at the till before stepping aside and letting Mizuki do the same.

"I suppose so, but I was only looking at it out of curiosity and happened to recognise your face. Incidentally, my picture is also on the-oh, I apologise, before we go on, what are your pronouns?" Mizuki said, turning back to Minah suddenly.

"She, her, and so on. Yours?"

"The same," Mizuki said.

Finishing her transaction, she too thanked the till staff and picked up her tray again, and started to scan the busy area. To Minah it seemed not so much she was looking for someone in particular, but just an empty space, and that seemed sad. At least on _her_ first day, she hadn't been short of people wanting to keep her company.

"Have you not got anyone to sit with?" Minah asked carefully.

"Not at the moment." Mizuki replied.

"Ah, well, if you so wish, you could always come and sit with us."

"No, no, I wouldn't want to impose. I'm going over to the West Building straight after eating, so it's not as if it matters if I sit alone."

Minah wondered what the West Building was-to the best of her knowledge, she had not been there, but her mind caught onto a different part of Mizuki's response.

"No, no, you wouldn't be an imposition." Minah insisted. "I believe my friends will be fine with it, and you're only staying her a short while, it shouldn't make a difference either way anyway."

Mizuki studied Minah carefully, making her feel like she was being analysed like a spreadsheet, but then the younger girl smiled, soft features lighting up slightly.

"Well, in that case, I would be glad to join you."

Minah led Mizuki over to the table that her friend had saved, and made the quick introductions. Her friend smiled.

"Well, being all lonesome on the first day won't do! You absolutely have to stay with us at least while you're eating, I'll intro you to-oh, there they are! Heeeeey, over here!"

Her other two friends were waved over, and they sat down, and introductions were made once again, before the obligatory thanks for the food were made and they all started eating.

"How come you're going over to the Reserve Course building, then, Teranaga-san?" one of Minah's friends asked as they ate.

 _Oh. The West Building is the Reserve Course building, of course._ Minah felt a twinge of guilt, and tried to clamp down on it.

"Partially because I think it's good for me to get into the habit of regularly visiting to see how things are going-some of my philanthropic endeavours are related to improving the Reserve Course standards so I would like to see them in practise. And on a more personal level it's important to me to remain connected to there, as I used to be a Reserve Course student myself."

"You did?" another of Minah's friends asked. "That's…interesting."

"I know," Mizuki said evenly. "My class seem to think so as well."

"It's not a bad thing, though." Minah hurriedly intervened. "Right?"

"No, of course not!" the friend who had asked said. "It's just interesting, like I said. But hold on, are you on your own because of that?"

Mizuki shrugged.

"There's no way of knowing, but even so, if that was the case it's not like I've lost anything from attitudes like that."

 _If I was in that position, I'd have to agree._

Minah's three friends exchanged odd looks, which were also flashed at Minah, who could see nothing to do but just shrug as she ate another mouthful of pasta.

"Well, I don't see the big deal personally, it's not as if you are one anymore, right?"

Mizuki gave the friend who had said that an even look, her lips seeming to have thinned though the smile was still there. _Um…that's not really the point though, is it?_ But before Minah could say anything to smooth things over, another friend jumped in.

"That must mean you're pretty interested in the Talent Exchange Plan thingy, right? Are you?"

"Yes, actually. I sent off my application via my Electro-ID." Mizuki seemed to relax a little bit.

"Oh, just like Kang-san here!"

Minah spluttered as her friend grabbed her in a bear-hug suddenly. Her friend let go abruptly and stared at her, contrite.

"Sorry!" she apologised. "So, so, sorry."

"It's….fine." Minah said, not able to help but chuckle a little as she recovered, taking a sip of water before speaking again.

"But yes, I signed up as well. I think it's a great opportunity. I'm also pleased that they're allowing the extra-curricular clubs to be attended by Reserve Course students as well. I'm hoping some will perhaps take an interest in the club I am a part of."

"Minah-san is all about the teaching and all that-she's absolutely excellent at it."

"I'm not tha-"

"And she's modest, too!"

Minah sighed at the interruption, and shook her head fondly. She loved her friends for this, even if it did embarrass her. She was an SHSL, not a paragon of perfection. Mizuki, for her part, looked little more than curious and interested.

"What club are you a part of, Kang-sempai?" she asked.

"Mixed martial arts." Minah replied. "Not in the sense of the specific discipline of MMA so much as you can learn a variety of different martial arts there, including taekwondo."

"Well. It's heartening to know that there's a club that will actually welcome the change." Mizuki concluded. "I can let people know that."

"That would be good, thank you." Minah replied.

After that, they chatted about other things briefly until Mizuki had finished her food, at which point she got up.

"Well then, I have to go now, but I'll see you all later. Thank you for inviting me to sit with you."

"No problem, bye!"

 **…**

Mizuki walked past the statue of Hope's Peak's founder and in her musings about the days conversations, almost forgot that she'd been meaning to see what the sign around its neck had been about. Backtracking, she walked right up to the statue and tiptoed while craning her neck slightly to read the sign, feeling her back twinge slightly as she did. Quietly, she murmured the words she was reading:

"To commemorate Hope's Peak reaching 100 Years, we intend to create statues of the other principals of this school, including the present, in collaboration with the skills various students of the school."

The first thing that Mizuki thought was: _That does include Principal Hinata, doesn't it?_ Then, she wondered if the funds that she had given to the Reserve Course would be channelled to this, before idly speculating as to whether the skills of the Reserve Course would be amongst those utilised when these statues were built- _and where, for that matter?_ Looking at the surrounding grassy area of the Izuru Kamukura statue, there did not seem to be any particular space partitioned out for the statues. _Then again, it's not as if we're lacking space here though._ Mizuki consciously made a decision to not concern herself too much with the statue-except for double checking about the money, and she continued onwards.

Many Main Course students were milling around in the various outdoor areas she passed through, but none paid attention to her, and as she got closer to the Western Courtyard, they seemed to taper away completely, as if there was an invisible force field keeping them out. It felt odd, walking towards it in this way-for a moment, she could see herself from last year, standing beside the willow tree, looking out onto everything else, and the feeling almost swept her away.

Then she realised that there was actually someone standing underneath the tree, and not just a figment of memory. An actual person.

They-a male, it seemed, though she couldn't be completely confident-appeared to simply be leaning against the tree, taking a quiet moment to themselves. But as she got closer, and their features rearranged themselves into something clearer, her eyes widened.

"Yamashita-san?"

He had been angling himself away from her as she'd approached, but upon her surprised utterance, the boy's head snapped up at that, and chocolate-brown eyes locked onto hers. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. It's Teranaga-cha-it's Teranaga. What are you doing here?"

"I attend this school." Mizuki said, slightly non-plussed. "You know that."

 _I think._

She tried to recall what little she knew of this former classmate of hers. Mokomichi Yamashita. They'd been in the same class for the first year, but not the year before- _don't think of that now-_ and of course she'd spent most of that year out of school. She recalled a relaxed demeanour and a determined core underneath the nonchalance. She could see some of that, still, but….

"No, I mean, what are you doing _here_?" He clarified when she made no response. "You belong over there now, don't you?"

"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?"

"You're a shiny Main Course student now, aren't you?" Mokomichi challenged. "Main Course students 'simply don't mix' with us lowly Reserve Course students, do they? Especially not once they've escaped from the gutter this side of the school supposedly is."

All of this was said languidly, and even the quotation marks he made in the air were careless in their execution. But his gaze was steady, with a slight sharp edge.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't make baseless assumptions, thank you very much." Mizuki snapped.

"What's baseless about them?" Mokomichi shrugged. "You were one of us, then you disappeared, and bam, now you're wearing a brown uniform and a shiny badge and you get to leave it all behind you. There's not much else to speculate about there."

Mokomichi turned away from her, and looked as if he was about to walk away. A flame of indignation rose up in Mizuki. _How dare…how dare you? You recognised me by name, you should know better than that._

"That's _not_ why I had to leave in the first place, and you know it!"

Mokomichi paused, and turned towards her. The small smirk that had been on his face had disappeared, and he stuck his hands deeply into his pockets.

"I do." He acknowledged. "I'm sorry. It's not even the first anniversary yet, is it?"

"No…"

The energy left Mizuki suddenly, leaving her deflated.

"I'm sorry."

There was a pause after Mokomichi's repeated apology. Mizuki weighed up the next possible steps and words carefully as they regarded each other. Mizuki suddenly remembered how assiduously Mokomichi would walk away whenever he spotted a Main Course student somewhere when out on the campus. She supposed it was lucky that he was even talking to her now.

"But anyway, traitor, you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

If it wasn't for the careful lightness in which he had made a point of saying that word, Mizuki would've challenged him on the use of the term 'traitor'. As it was, she took a deep breath to bring her irritation under control.

"I'm checking in. I wanted to see how things were going here, if there are any signs of improvements being made. You probably know what talent I was awarded to transfer courses in the first place, so I shouldn't have to explain any further than that. You're welcome to join me, if you don't believe me."

The slight smirk returned, followed by a nonchalant shrug.

"Nah, I'm cool."

"And even as you say that you're distrusting me. How, exactly, do you want me to prove myself to you?"

"I don't."

"…that does not make any particular sense."

"Does it have to?"

Again, they regarded each other for a moment. And once again, it was Mokomichi who broke the silence, with a deep sigh and a brief moment of something _else_ flashing across his face, gone before Mizuki could make sense of it.

"Perhaps at the end of the year we'll meet again, and we'll see then, if you stuck to your word, or if you really were a traitor in the end."

Mizuki recognised this as a dismissal, of sorts, though Mokomichi didn't seem about to move anywhere. _So I'm the one who has to walk away even though you issued the challenge?_ Mizuki fought to keep a little calm as she responded:

"I'd like to think we'd meet a lot sooner than that. But in any case, I'll continue on then. Goodbye."

Mokomichi raised an eyebrow again and nodded in return, and Mizuki set off towards the West Building resolutely, filled with extra determination. And even though she didn't turn back at all, she was convinced that Mokomichi remained where he was, watching her as she left.

* * *

 **Characters introduced this chapter:**

 **Keiko Usui, SHSL Launderer (created by: Treeja)**

 **Mokomichi Yamashita, Class 3C (created by: PainX65)**

 **I should clarify that Tatsumi isn't another main cast member that hasn't been intro-ed, just a random side character, pretty much. I have, however, made a passing mention to a character who is a cast member that hasn't been intro-ed yet in this chapter. But speaking of characters introduced-creators of those OCs, how did I do?**

 **And, well, what else to say? Um, there's two weeks left until the submission deadline (and I really need submissions...), and I am hoping to get another chapter out near the end of the month as there is a halfterm holiday coming up, but we shall see. After that the upload schedule will be something along the lines of what I mentioned last chapter. I'm sure there were other things I wanted to mention too but I honestly cannot remember right now. If they're important I'll just stick them on the status updates on my profile if I remember them.**

 **So, yeah, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave feedback if you can, and I'll see you next time!**


	4. The Beginning of The Beginning, part 3

The figures that Hana'd just sketched looked like those two.

The boy from the Reserve Course and the girl from the Main Course that had been standing by the willow tree when she'd gone past it to sit by the rose bushes. She hadn't caught exactly what they'd been talking about, but her drawing had managed to capture the exasperation on the girl's face, the remorse she'd seen for a moment on the boy's as she'd walked past. Neither of them had noticed her, and the girl had continued towards the West Building and the boy to another part of the courtyard by the time she had sat down to draw. All in all, she'd only seen them for a moment, but somehow, they'd managed to sneak onto her page.

 _Who were they?_ She wondered, _what were they doing?_ She thought she recognised the boy-she'd seen a boy similarly blond and slim amongst the third years-but the girl was completely new to her. _A first year, possibly. But why does it matter?_ Hana sighed, tapped her pencil against the drawn version of the girl's head before frowning, rubbing out a section of her curled hair and redrawing it again. She frowned at again, then retucked a lock of her own curly hair behind her ear again-making sure it didn't get caught in her earring-before looking back up at the courtyard.

There were a few Reserve Course students here and there, a small group of which were sitting by the willow tree the boy and the girl had been by. There were no Main Course students anywhere near the building. Now Hana thought about it, they never really did come near this way, and that made the girl unusual, even more so than the fact she'd been talking to another Reserve Course student in the first place. If the girl's classmates were to get wind of her doing such a thing, she'd never live it down. Or maybe the boy would get the blame, considering that she was Main Course and he was the lowly Reserve Course student.

 _Oh. Maybe…maybe they're together?_

Hana looked down at her picture with new eyes. She sketched in the tree between them, trying to make it look like something that brought them together despite the differences pushing them apart, and considered it. _Could I really have something in common with her?_ Hana thought of Riku, and the good-luck voicemail he'd left for her that morning. _Well, I suppose I have the_ opposite _problem. If Riku was in this school as a Main Course student, it'd be easier for me. But…_ Hana kept on drawing, until the scene was fully sketched out, and then she regarded it from all angles.

Satisfied with the result, Hana put the sketchbook and her pencil down for a moment, then hugged her knees to her chest and stared out at the courtyard. If the girl and boy she had seen had been lovers….or at least incredibly close friends, then what did that mean? Could it be really be true, that this year was meant to be special? Even though she hadn't thrown the badge away (how she'd _wanted_ to though), she didn't think that Hope's Peak reaching a century of existence was meaningful, not if everything would be exactly the same. _But now-_

Hana froze as she saw a flash of brown, and her gaze whipped over to see the girl coming back from the West Building. For a moment, she could only stare as the girl strode, deep in thought, hair tousled slightly by the breeze, but then she picked up her sketchbook and tried to pretend she was still drawing, not wanting to be caught staring. But the girl was deep enough in thought that Hana went unnoticed, and soon she had disappeared from view. Almost as if she had never been in the first place. Hana sighed again, and was about to put her sketchbook down again when she heard the familiar shriek of the West Building bell.

 _I really don't want to go._ But it was the first day, it wouldn't do to ditch. _I have to at least look like I'm making an effort. Otherwise…_ Hana shivered at the thought. Slowly, she put her things into her bag, stood up, and dusted herself down. Then, with each step feeling heavier than the last, she walked back to the West Building.

 **…**

Even though everyone around him had more or less abandoned their classwork, Mokomichi continued, for no other reason than there wasn't anything better to do. He didn't have a good book with him, he didn't particularly feel like using his phone or his ID to surf the internet, nor did he particularly want to chat with his classmates about the events of the day so far. For the most part, he'd either been there, or heard it all before.

That, and even if he was 'just' a Reserve Course student, he did actually want to do well with school. _I have plans beyond all this, after all. Whether I'll actually be able to make it there is another matter,_ he thought as he flicked a dark glance at his teacher-who was oblivious as she surfed social media on her tablet- _but I may as well try._ So he played the dutiful student, working through the questions in the textbook page they had been instructed to look through, marking each question, scribbling notes to help him remember what to do with other similar questions. But there was only so much he could do like this, and soon he grew bored.

With a slight huff of annoyance, he shut his textbook and put his pen down, and propping his chin on his hand, he turned to stare out of the window. Far off in the distance, he could see some people in brown uniforms scurrying around, but apart from that, the grounds were empty. It seemed the quietest the school had been all day, though with everyone yakking around him it didn't feel like that.

 _Huh? What?_

Mokomichi sat up straight. _Did I just hear someone mention Teranaga's name?_ He turned around to the classmates he'd heard the conversation come from.

"Who is that you're talking about?" he asked them.

"Huh? Oh, Mizuki Teranaga, one of the newbies over on the Main Course," one of them said. "For some reason she was over here at lunchtime chatting to some of the younger years and the teachers. She said hi to me as if I was supposed to know her."

"And she said she came here before?" the other one said. "Which is mad, right-that doesn't happen!"

"She did." Mokomichi said simply.

His two classmates stared at him as if he'd grown two heads.

"What?" the first classmate asked.

"Yeah, she'd have been in our year." Mokomichi explained. "She was in 1B with me-and you, actually."

"Oh shit, really?"

"You don't remember the girl who had to leave last year after her parents died?" Mokomichi asked.

 _I remember. I was there, when Principal Hinata came to collect her._ In a completely different area of the grass, talking to a completely different group of friends, but he'd never seen anyone go _that_ pale before. If he hadn't known what it was for the world to grow shaky beneath someone's feet before, he'd learnt it that day.

 _And….yet, the insinuation I made. She may be Main Course now, but that still happened._

"No….oh, wait!"

"Ohhh. Her! I think I remember…..the dad was some corporation dude, right?"

"Right, right. Yeah, she came around here during lunch. Apparently she's a philanthropist, she gave the money that they used to re-do the classrooms down on the ground floor and some other things!"

"Oh, who is that you're talking about?"

Another few classmates turned to join the conversation, and while Mokomichi let the other two fill them in, he offered the occasional remark, and then sat back and watched as they speculated fiercely about Mizuki and her intentions. Apparently she'd pep-talked a bunch of first-years, inspected the building, and confirmed the message their teachers had said about Main Course clubs being open to Reserve Course students-she'd even named a student and club that were specifically going to be welcoming. Most likely that student was a blip, if the way things usually were anything to go by, but still, the message was notable.

Eventually, Mokomichi tired of the conversation, and returned to broodingly staring out of the window. But he could not take his mind off of Mizuki.

 _She's Main Course. But once she wasn't. And she came back._

There were not many Reserve Course students who actually got elevated to Main Course. Those who did, they became legends in some ways, a new lure to reel people into the abyss the Reserve Course really was. A glimmer of a hope that did not really exist. And like legends that talked of people venturing somewhere awesome and unknown, those rare students never returned.

Mizuki Teranaga was the only one who had.

 _And, if she is to be believed, the only one who will. But do I believe that?_ Mokomichi didn't really know. _But, more pressingly, what do I want to believe?_ He did not know that, either. Idly, he picked up his pen, flicked the next page of his textbook and scanned it, but couldn't find the wherewithal to give the questions a go. They were technically of a topic that was to be covered next lesson, but if that lesson was going to go the way this one had been, it wouldn't even _be_ a lesson.

"Right, I'm off to get coffee. "

Their teacher stood up suddenly, and the room hushed-though not into complete silence-as the class turned towards her, Mokomichi included.

"Don't trash the room now." She added needlessly. "I'll be back."

The teacher gave a half-hearted wave, and then scurried out of the classroom. The volume of the class instantly shot back up again, and Mokomichi stretched, leaning back in his seat for a moment.

 _I wonder what Teranaga would make of that,_ he thought as he sat properly again. And as soon as he thought that thought, he caught sight of the folder the teacher had left behind on her desk. A folder that had a tiny sheaf of green papers poking out of it. Green papers exactly like the ones that had been handed out that morning, identical to the one he'd crumpled and thrown in the bin on the way out to morning break. He stared at those papers for what felt like an eternity, holding his breath, wondering.

" _How, exactly, do you want me to prove myself to you?"_

Mokomichi had lied, somewhat, when he'd answered that, but only because he hadn't known. But now, he at least had an idea. So, after glancing around at the rest of the class, he got up, loped over to the folder, slipped a sheet out, and scooted back to his chair. Nobody called him out, and he let out a sigh of relief at that.

Carefully, he straightened out the green sheet of paper against the page of his textbook, and read through the questions.

 _Why do you want to join the Talent Exchange Plan?_

 _What skills do you wish to gain?_

 _How would you plan on making the best use of the skills you learn?_

 _When are you available for Talent Exchange Meetings?_

 _Anything else you wish to tell us about your application for the Talent Exchange Plan?_

He smirked at them. _They're probably not going to be expecting someone like me. Still, there's nothing to lose, is there?_ He picked up his pen, and started to write.

 **…**

Yuna was almost spinning as she left Naegi's office. This Talent Exchange Plan was a most splendid idea, she thought. It had always seemed such a shame that the Reserve Course was a little apart from the rest of the school, when they were technically part of the same school. But most importantly to Yuna, perhaps this would be the chance for her to meet a young person whose views on romance were more…well, romantic. This was going to be a big year, and she had big plans.

 _What a honour it is, being able to be at this school during its most important year. Hopefully my consultation service will take off really well….oh, what if I was able to match Principal Naegi to a life partner? How wonderful would that be? Such a good man deserves a proper romance…_

She was still near-spinning when she almost bumped into someone.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, and jumped back.

"Oh my goodness, I almost didn't see you there! Are you alright, Yorokobi-Chan?"

Quickly straightening out her purple blazer, Yuna looked up at the larger girl in surprise, and beamed.

"Usui-sempai!"

"How are you, Yorokobi-Chan?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

The year before, when Yuna had just started at Hope's Peak Academy, she'd got lost when trying to visit the library for the first time, and it had been kind Keiko Usui who had helped her get there. And from there on, the older girl had been…not a friend, exactly, but someone she could turn to if she needed. She'd mostly been able to get on with things herself, but all the same, knowing she could count on Keiko if she needed to had made such a difference.

"Are you going off to the library then?" Keiko asked her.

"Yes, I am," Yuna told her. "I'm going to do some research into what makes a good consultation business."

"May I ask why?" Keiko asked after a beat, tilting her head slightly.

Yuna smiled again.

"Yes. I've joined the Talent Exchange Plan, and I'm hoping that along with the student I am paired with, I'll be able to create a tailor-made consultation service to help people with all their romantic needs, whether that is finding their 'one' or relationship troubles, or how best to conduct oneself properly in matters of romance-believe me, I think there are many people in need of that."

"That sounds very interesting." Keiko nodded.

"I'm pleased you think so." Yuna said. "Are you joining the Talent Exchange Plan?"

Keiko's usual soft smile seemed to waver for a moment, and Yuna looked at her quizzically. Keiko sighed, and then shook her head, making her dark blue coiled plaits wobble slightly as the smile returned.

"No, I won't be."

"Oh, but why not? You're so lovely and kind and helpful."

"Aww, bless. That's very kind of you to say, but I don't think it's for me." Keiko responded fondly. "I don't imagine there are hordes of teenagers who want to become laundry experts."

"No, but laundry is a really good skill to have, especially once you're married. Oh!"

Suddenly, something occurred to Yuna.

"When I get my service up and running, perhaps I could help you find a partner?" Yuna offered. "I'm sure I'd be able to find someone from a good enough family who will love your good nature and treat you right. It's the least I could do for you, since you've always been so kind to me."

Yuna wasn't sure if she imagined it, but at that, Keiko seemed to stiffen. But just as quickly, she was soft again, and smiling politely as ever.

"No, thank you, Yorokobi-chan.I think I'd rather focus on this year first, and then consider….other things after I graduate."

"Oh yes, of course, that too is a very good approach to take." Yuna nodded vigorously.

 _Yes, I'm sure I imagined it. Usui-sempai is like me, after all, from families that appreciate traditional values. Why wouldn't she want to find the perfect partner?_

There was a moment as the two girls regarded each other in the corridor. Then, Keiko patted Yuna's shoulder

"Well then," Keiko said. "I'll let you head off. I'll see you later."

"Ah yes, of course. Goodbye, Usui-sempai."

With a wave, Yuna continued walking down, this time in a more restrained manner, though she was no less joyful.

 _Yes, this is going to be a wonderful year._

* * *

 **Characters introduced this chapter:**

 **Hana Otsuki, class 2A (created by: Abitat Eco)  
Yuna Yorokobi, SHSL Sexologist (created by:** **liammarklh88)**

 **I hadn't been setting out to introduce exactly two characters per chapter, but that seems to be what's happening so far. Though next chapter might introduce three, but I guess I'll have to wait and see how it unfolds when I start to write it.**

 **Anyway, I wanted to mention that I've taken inspiration from irwegwert and their story 'Society of Talent' when I have characters ask each other for pronouns when they first meet. I thought it was a cool idea when Weg used it, but when I came up with this idea, it occured to me that norms would be somewhat different in 2032, and wouldn't that convention be a nice example of that? It's not going to come easily to everyone for all sorts of reasons, but yeah, in this universe, asking for gender and pronouns is more or less as normal as asking for one's name when meeting them. So yeah, thank you for that Weg :)**

 **Another important thing is that I am going to extend the deadline, by one week, so the new final deadline is 4th November at 10pm UK time. The specificness is more for me and my time management for this story, mind you, but still, that's the deadline. I don't have that many spots to fill but I do need the submissions, hence the extension. And as always the general requirements of what I'm looking for as well as the demographics of the accepted characters are on my profile.**

 **But speaking of profiles, you may or may not know of the spam thing that's been going on with those, but while my understanding via Reddit is that it should be safe now, if you are still concerned, then either use a review I may have left somewhere recently to send me a PM, or if I've ever messaged you or vice versa before then use that thread. Both of those will mean you don't have to click on my profile while logged in. And you can always grab the form and save it somewhere if you view my profile while being logged off, so yeah.**

 **Anyway, that's all from me for now. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you can, do leave feedback.**


	5. The Beginning of The Beginning, part 4

**Here, have a post-Halloween, pre-Bonfire-Night miracle: an update earlier than expected!Though to be honest I pushed this out quickly more for my own sake than anything-writing this really gets my mood up and gosh knows I needed that this week. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

As usual, Sosuke was early.

He looked around the room to see if there was anything to do, or read, and instantly spotted that there were two welcome documents on the table, waiting for the two new Class Representatives to take them. He strode over to them, and picked one up, and had a flick through. The information was much the same as it had been two years ago, when he'd become class representative for Class 98-A, except that the Student Council President had seen fit to include the short note about the upcoming centenary that Sosuke had put forward as a possible addition. He could not help but smile at that, and was just about to put it back down when the door opened and despite himself, he startled, dropping the booklet.

The girl in the doorway looked around curiously, and then her gaze-the greenest gaze he'd ever seen-stopped on him. Sosuke sized up her red hair, pale skin as well as her neat and clearly brand-new school uniform, and once he'd lined up that information, he was instantly able to work out who the girl was.

"Mizuki Teranaga from Class 100A, am I right?" he asked, the latter half of the question more for politeness' sake than anything.

He adjusted his wire-framed glasses briefly, and went over to her, holding out his hand. She accepted it with a smile, shaking his hand firmly. He briefly noted that she was wearing her 100 badge, which for some reason pleased him.

"My name is Sosuke Mori, SHSL Judicidal Scrivener and Class Representative of 98A. My pronouns are he, him and so on and so forth. May I presume that you use the female pronouns?"

"Yes, that's right. " Mizuki nodded. "I'm the SHSL Philanthropist, though I suspect you knew that already."

Sosuke acknowledged this with a simple nod as he let go of her hand.

"I do try and familiarise myself with names and faces of the incoming years. I am also an unofficial deputy's deputy here, you see, so I feel it is my duty to try and do that. Mind you, faces are still a work in progress for me…" Sosuke grimaced slightly, but regained his composure quickly. "But I think I have most, if not all, names down pat."

Mizuki considered this for a moment.

"That seems fair enough to me. Though you seem to have recognised me well enough."

"I have to confess, it was more the hair than anything. With that being said, your reputation precedes you."

Mizuki raised an eyebrow at that, still smiling, but didn't say anything. She didn't need to-it was fairly clear that they both knew what Sosuke meant, and frankly he didn't need to stretch it out. _Still, it's an interesting phenomenon, isn't it? A Reserve Course student actually achieving what most of them come here for in the first place? That and the fact she's the heir of Teranaga Trade._ He was looking forward to getting to know her better-if he played it right, she'd be an excellent person to have onside.

"Anyway, please do sit down. We have put together short guides for yourself and the 100B representative, so please do take a look through while everyone else arrives. We are both very early, after all."

"Thank you, Mori-sempai." Mizuki said politely, electing to take the seat closest to her. Propping her chin in her hand, she started to take a look through, before suddenly looking up. "May I underline or highlight things?"

"Yes, of course, this is for you to keep." Sosuke answered as he went and sat down himself.

Mizuki nodded in thanks, then pulled a pencil case out of her bag, selected a pen from it, and began to read the welcome document carefully, occasionally underlining or even scribbling. Sosuke watched her for a moment and then decided to just wait patiently for everyone else to come in, which they soon did.

"Yo, Mori, this is mad early. Did you set your watch to be half an hour early instead?" the Class Representative of Class 98B said as he loped in.

"No, that would be excessive. I just had the afternoon free so I decided to come straight here after some study." Sosuke explained. "What about you, Ichihara-kun?"

"Ah, I had some workshop time scheduled!" Ichihara laughed, dusting a few specks of sawdust off of his school jumper. "But I was so into my new project I almost forgot the time-almost! Izumi was studying outdoors, I saw her through the window, so I think she'll be here soon-ah, speak of the devil!"

"Excuse me, what?" Riko Izumi, the Deputy School Council President, stood by the doorway. The bags under her eyes were so pronounced that Sosuke was fairly sure that he would have been able to see them without his glasses. _That's…concerning._

"Ah, I meant nothing bad, Izumi!" Ichihara laughed. "You should know that."

"Hmmm."

Riko stepped in, still glaring, and her eyes instantly went to Mizuki, who now looked up and regarded the two newcomers.

"Oh!" Ichihara exclaimed. "A newbie! I'm Taki Ichihara, the Class Rep of 98B! I'm also the SHSL Carpenter, and use male pronouns and all that jazz. What about you?"

"Mizuki Teranaga, SHSL Philanthropist, Class 100A's representative, she/her pronouns. " Mizuki introduced herself politely.

"Riko Izumi, SHSL Scholar, female." Riko sighed with a deep scowl.

"She is the Deputy Student Council President, and she is in my class." Sosuke clarified for Mizuki's sake, earning another heavy sigh from Riko.

"Izumi-san, that's not how we treat newcomers. You're creating a bad impression."

Izumi's head snapped around and she fixed Sosuke with a vicious glare.

"So?"

"Woah, woah, Izumi!" Ichihara exclaimed.

Sosuke sighed, and glanced at Mizuki. Though it seemed she had picked up on the tension from the moment Ichihara and Izumi had entered the room, she didn't seem particularly fazed by it, even as she studied the two very carefully. _I'll leave it for now, then,_ he decided.

"Well, it's good to meet you both," Mizuki replied, breaking the sudden silence. "I hope we'll get along."

"Yeah, I'm sure we will." Ichihara said, laughing easily.

Riko, on the other hand, said nothing, and instead went to sit down at the seat closest to the door, deep in thought. She didn't say anything as other people came in and more introductions were made to Mizuki and to the Class 100B Representative who arrived layer. She continued brooding as everyone made small talk while heading to their seats, and she only started to engage when the Student Council President stood up at the top end of the desk and tapped at the whiteboard to get everyone's attention. Then, she got up and wearily went to join him, standing on the other side of the whiteboard. Sosuke tried to catch her eye, but she studiously ignored him.

"Right, now we can get started." The Student Council President said. "It's good to see you all here, both old and familiar faces. I'm sure this fact will be outlined to you many times, but this is a very, very important year. It will be part of our roles here to make sure that it goes as well as possible and we continue to show the world what we are all capable of-which, as you all know, is a lot. To this end, we have a number of specific events and initiates we will either be running ourselves, or helping to implement."

Riko dutifully wrote 'Events' on the whiteboard, underlined it, and then underneath wrote :'Talent Exchange Plan', 'Izuru Kamukura's Birthday Celebrations', 'Talent Exams', 'School Festival', 'Sculptures', 'Leavers' Party and Graduation Ceremony'. An adequate amount of space was left underneath each heading. Sosuke dutifully made notes on his Electro-ID, even though the Student Council Secretary was also making minutes of the meeting. It always paid to have extra copies of information, after all.

"Now, the Talent Exchange Plan is something we already know about," the President said. "And Izumi-Chan here is fairly familiar with how a setup may work, considering the tutoring she does."

"My tutoring of Kumori's hardly the same thing," Riko said irritably. "That's simply about academic work. But in this case, you actually get the chance to share the things you are passionate about, with people who will hopefully be passionate about the same thing. After all, many of you are passionate about your SHSLs, aren't you?"

"Hell yeah!" Ichihara cheered.

Sosuke laughed dutifully with everyone else, but sized up Riko, who normally would have raised a smile at Ichihara but didn't seem bothered to do so now. _Maybe I should take her aside…we can hardly have discord at a time like this, can we?_

"I'm sure most of us are," the President said, bringing the focus back smoothly. "Anyway, there's no expectation for all of us to be signed up, but it would be good if some of us did, just to give that good example to the rest of the school. Out of curiosity, could we have a show of hands as to how many of us are signed up already, or who are planning to sign up.

Sosuke put his hand up immediately, and noticed that Mizuki had too. A few others had also put their hand up, though with less confidence.

"Good, good, that's excellent. We will be assisting the Principals with the matching up, as it happens, so hopefully you will be able to find the best candidates possible for you."

"By which you mean the ones we think we'll be in the best position to help them?"

Everyone looked at Mizuki, who regarded them all coolly. _Not afraid to challenge people,_ Sosuke noted. The Student Council President appeared to be like a deer in the headlights for a moment, and it was Riko who answered, complete with a heavy eye-roll.

"Well, that is _supposed_ to be the point."

"Ah, yes, yes, of course." The president said, recovering. "In any case, I'm sure that we all know the details of when to hand our applications in and such things, correct? You will receive notification of the meeting in which we assist the matchings, so no need to worry about that for now. Now, the next thing, Izuru Kamukura's Birthday Celebrations."

"Those, will, of course, be on June 7th, as that was our founder's birthday. The plan is for the whole day to be given over to a whole-school party, which will involve the Reserve Course too. We'll be organising different activities and suchlike, and some of us will need to be involved in setting up the decorations-we're hoping the vast majority of the party can take place outdoors in the courtyards if the weather is good enough. Anya-san, you'll be leading all that, won't you?"

"I'm not the SHSL Party Planner for nothing, you know!" Anya, the Student Council Events Manager, agreed with a triumphant grin.

"Indeed, indeed. So, anyway, on with the next thing…."

The Student Council President walked them all through the different events and the expectations of each of them, with Riko making a few contributions, and soon, the meeting drew to a close.

"Now," the Student Council President said, "It's time for what we always do on the first day of the year-our walk-around of the school clubs. Ready?"

 **…**

Mizuki looked around her, trying to see how many Reserve Course students had actually decided to give club enrolment a try. Since it was technically out-of-school hours, many of the Main Course students had changed into casual or talent-based clothing for the clubs, and so the black school uniforms of the Reserve Course stood out even more than they would have anyway. And there were indeed a few students around, all of them wide-eyed, slow-paced and a little hunched as they made their way around, hesitantly approaching the different stalls and reading the various signs outside rooms that advertised the clubs.

 _Still, at least nothing bad seems to be happening at the moment,_ she thought. Some Main Course students had been looking at them askance, but with the Student Council President making a point of greeting them, any bust-ups seemed to be prevented before they started. _But what'll happen once we've all decided we're satisfied and leave?_

"Hey, hey, I don't think I've met you two yet!"

Mizuki's train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of a brown haired boy who hadn't yet changed out of his crumpled uniform-though he was wearing a fur-collared jacket over the top of it-grinning broadly as he made a beeline to them.

"Hello, Nakajima-kun." Sosuke greeted him. "How are you?"

"Ah, I'm fine, thank you. Just wanted to make the acquaintance of these two fine ladies-assuming you are both ladies?" Sho said, flicking his hand to indicate Mizuki and the Class 100B representative whose name she hadn't quite learnt yet.

"Yes, that's right." Mizuki answered. "I'm Mizuki Teranaga, SHSL Philanthropist. And you?"

"Me? I'm Sho. Sho Nakajima, SHSL Pilot. Easy enough to remember, right?" his blue eyes twinkled, but his gaze was level.

"Indeed." Mizuki said carefully, without fully being sure as to _why_ she was being careful.

"Well, that's good to hear. Hopefully this will be the first of many encounters we have, am I right?"

"Possibly."

"Oh my goodness, Sho-san, don't flirt with the poor girl on the first day!" Anya protested, startling Mizuki.

"I'm not flirting, I'm just getting to know the new girl." Sho said. "How could you think that of me, Anya-chan?"

Sho gave Anya a puppy-eyed gaze, his hand on his heart in a careful gesture. Mizuki couldn't help but be amused.

"It's okay, I wasn't interested anyway." Mizuki said.

Anya, Sho and the rest of the Student Council all stared at her, and she twitched slightly. The gazes of Sho and Sosuke in particular felt piercing, but she tried to hide the sense of unsettlement this produced in her. Then, unexpectedly, Sho reared back his head and laughed.

"Oh my," Sho said when his laughs quietened, shaking his head. "You're a funny one. But I'll leave you be for now. I've more new people to meet, after all."

"Yeah, yeah," Ichihara laughed. "See you later, mate!"

Sho sauntered off, hands in his pockets, and soon melted into a crowd. Mizuki rubbed her head slightly. _That was…strange._

"I wouldn't let Sho-san bother you," Anya appeared in front of Mizuki suddenly, regarding her carefully. "He's like that with everyone, really."

"Yeah," Ichihara agreed. "Some people say you haven't really become part of Hope's Peak until he bothers you. But he's cool, really."

"Mhm." Mizuki nodded. "I'll take your word for it. But I wasn't bothered by him, really."

 _Well, not about the flirting…..but I don't even know what it is that did. It's probably nothing, though. Maybe it's just the stress of all this new information._

"If you say so."

There was a pause after that, and they milled, uncertain.

"Perhaps now would be a good time for us to split up?" Sosuke suggested.

"Ah, yes, of course." The Student Council President said cheerily. "For those of us who don't know the drill, when we do the club circuits, we do the initial leg together, then we split up to cover more ground quickly before regrouping to report issues and points of interest. Naturally, if there are any emergencies we can contact each other via ID. Though when we do regroup, we should probably make sure we've got a Student Council chat group set up on our phones. So…who wants to go with who?"

"I'll go alone."

This instant response from Riko gained a lot of curious looks, from which Mizuki gathered that this was not a usual response from the Scholar. Riko, for her part, did not seem perturbed by their bemusement, instead staring at them levelly from very tired eyes. _She must work hard,_ Mizuki thought, recalling times her reflection had shown a similar exhaustion. _But I've never been that bad, surely…_

"Yes, that's fine." The Student Council President said.

"I will take Teranaga-san, if that suits everyone." Sosuke said.

Startled, Mizuki stared at the boy, whose narrow dark eyes were neutral as they looked out back at her through the round glasses.

"Sure."

There was some discussion as the others grouped themselves off, and then they all walked off in their respective directions. Sosuke and Mizuki were the last to leave, but did so promptly.

"So, Teranaga-san, is there any particular club that you would like to start from?"

Mizuki considered this for a moment.

"Mixed Martial Arts, if that isn't too far from here. It would make sense to check the different clubs on the way to there as well, if it is."

"Are you interested in martial arts, Teranaga-san?"

"Not as such," Mizuki answered. "But I know from Kang-san that the club is going to be open to Reserve Course students."

"Ahhh," Sosuke said sagely, "Of course. Ka-"

"-and I am reliably informed that the Paranormal Studies club is likely to remain popular this year, so let's have a look and see what it's like, guys!"

Sosuke was cut off by a boy walking past, brandishing a camera so that it was facing towards him as he walked. A practised smile dominated his very feminine features, and sleepy, electric blue eyes flashed as he talked into a camera, occasionally flicking back the fringe of his dyed silver-grey hair. He was in casual clothes-skinny jeans and a purple dress shirt-and looked very much practised at what he was doing. He walked past Mizuki and Sosuke almost obliviously as he continued to narrate into the camera, though he did pause to greet and blow a kiss at a Reserve Course girl who almost fainted at the attention, and to also complement an upperclassman's hair. Many others stared, and some even called out 'Fumi-kun' as he gradually disappeared around the bend in the corridor.

"Well," Sosuke let out a breath. "You do not see that every day."

"What do you mean?" Mizuki asked.

"That was Azuki Sawada, our SHSL Social Media Star, though if you are a fan of such things you would better know him as Fumiyo Doux. But he does not usually make a Fumiyo appearance while in school. "

This, Mizuki sensed, was an understatement. But at the same time, her mind was whirring. _Azuki Sawada, aka Fumiyo Doux…wasn't I thinking of…? I'll have to double check before going to bed._

"What class is he in?" Mizuki asked Sosuke.

"99B." Sosuke said. "Is there a reason you want to know?"

"Does it matter?"

Mizuki blinked almost as soon as she said that. _There was no need to be so defensive!_ But Sosuke was just looking at her evenly.

"I suppose it does not." he decided eventually. "In any case, we should continue on, if we do not want to waste time."

 **…**

 _Almost there,_ Azuki thought. _Almost there._

He rounded the corner, zipped down the corridor, then turned that corner, and finally, his dorm room was in sight. Looking around furtively to be sure that nobody had followed him down, he zipped to his room door, pulled his ID from out of the pockets of his grey skinny jeans, and hovered it over the reader. When the satisfying click sounded, accompanied by the small green light, he quickly opened the door, flung himself through it, and shut it behind him, breathing heavily, holding onto the door handle. For a long moment, he just couldn't move.

 _It's the lesser of two evils in the end, but…I hate being Fumi-kun when I'm here. I hate it. But at least in this room, I can be safe….._ gradually, his breathing evened out, and he was able to release his grip on the door handle, and walk into his windowless, but still airy and bright, room. He put his video camera on his desk, then opened his laptop, turned it on and plugged the video camera in so that the videos could be uploaded to it. His camera was of the latest model so he _could_ technically have done it wirelessly, but Daniel was the technical expert, not him, and Daniel was back in Paris. _Oh well, either way as long as I get the video done, it's all good. I'm making the difference that I can._

Leaving it to do its work, he crossed over to his cupboard and pulled out his white cat-patterned pyjamas, before heading to the bathroom to shower. He dumped his Fumiyo clothes in a pile in the corner of the room as he took each item off, before stepping into the shower and letting the water wash away the make-up, the strain of the day, and most of his tension over the course of the ten minutes. By the time he was dried and pyjama-ed, he was mostly calm again.

 _Well, at least I don't have to do that again for a while…._

Yawning, he shuffled over to his mini-fridge and pulled out one of his At-Sushi ready meals, a mini-trifle and a can of soda before grabbing a spoon from one of his drawers, and sitting down at his desk with the meal. Then, as he tucked in, he got to work.

…

It was half-past 10 when Mizuki finally finished dealing with admin and emails and was able to at last put away her laptop. Stifling a yawn, she scooped up the cutlery with which she'd used to eat the quick meal she'd thrown together, and headed to the kitchen to wash it. Once that was done, she quickly went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. As she did, she caught sight of her reflection and stared at it. Now the subtle make-up she used to keep herself looking presentable had washed away, she could see the slight bags under her eyes clearly, and wondered if they would get deeper and darker over the course of this year-much like Riko's had looked.

 _There is so much to think about._ She didn't know how she would manage it all. She at least had an idea of the different things she would be attempting to do while she was a student of Hope's Peak, as well as some of her shorter term plans, but even so… _How? How will I do it all?_ The only thing that she did know was that somehow or other, she would. With a weary sigh, she dried off her face and walked to her bedroom, not even bothering to turn on the light as she fumblingly took off her day clothes, hung them up in the wardrobe and pulled her pyjamas on. All the while her mind whirled with all the new faces she'd seen, the encounter with Mokomichi, the club circuit with the Student Council, the attitudes of her new classmates and upperclassmen…

Indeed, with all that she was thinking of, she didn't expect that she would end up falling asleep at all when she did finally climb into bed. But the moment she rested her head on the pillow, she did.

* * *

 **Characters introduced this chapter:**

 **Azuki Sawada, SHSL Social Media Star (Created by: AmaryllisGreen)  
Sosuke Mori, SHSL Judicial Scrivener (created by: Ziggymia123)  
Sho Nakajima, SHSL Pilot (created by: SHSL Coder)  
**

 **This felt the most conventionally-introduction-y chapter of the introduction chapters so far, though I can't really put into words why. Still, I definitely enjoyed writing it and as always, I hope the character creators are pleased with the intial portrayals of their characters. This ends the set of introductions that occured on the first day of school-all the rest will be, well, taking place on different times. The general idea is that they'll be intro-ed before the entire big group forms, but how long that takes is only partially planned at the moment.**

 **Anyway, as you might know, the final deadline of the SYOC is coming up-4th Nov, 10pm, UK time. I would kinda prefer to close the submissions earlier in the day though so if you are able to get an OC in please do. And big thanks to the people who have submitted so far.**

 **Also, I have created a tag on Tumblr for this story 'AndSoItBeginsSYOC' and I've used it to make a playlist post, so check that out if you're interested (my Tumblr name is aki-chan2014 for those who don't know). You can use that tag for fanart and things if you have any-I'd love to see it, and I will later post some of my own.**

 **I'll leave things at that for now. I'm not sure when I'll next update, but hopefully in a reasonable amount of time. See you then!**


	6. OP SONG: ONE MOMENT'S CRIME

**Surprise! A quick update. Well, sort of. As you might gather from the title, this isn't a typical chapter. Rather, it's an 'opening song' sequence that I designed to give a sort of overview of the characters and themes of the story, revolving around an actual song, as if this were describing an actual video. I did something like this with my Assassination Classroom fic Ending the End Class, except that was an Ending/ Insert song, so I had the idea brewing in my head. I was also inspired by the opening song things that my fic writer friend Persie (known as liammarklh88 here, and the creator of Yuna) does at the end of their introductions/prologues, so even though not all the characters are technically introduced yet, I figured what the hell, I may as well go for it. And I've slowly been working on this between chapters and other commitments, as I gradually got my cast, so that is why it is here now. Anyway, the blocks of description correspond to the lyrics directly above it, if you want a sense of how the theoretical video would sync with the song.**

 **Speaking of the song, it's one on my And So It Begins playlist on Tumblr- 'ONE MOMENT'S CRIME' by HENSHIN ft GUMI. The translation I found via Vocaloid Wikia, which in turn sourced it from the translator Hazuki no Yume. I've mashed together sections of the lyrics to create a fictional 'TV size' ver of the song, so I am only partially quoting the translation, which does fit in with guidelines for using the translation as far as I understand, but if that's not the case please politely let me know in a PM or something and I'll reupload the chapter with romaji lyrics only.**

 **Anyway, with all that kerfuffle out of the way, enjoy this update! I'll see you with the next one (which, I promise, will be an actual chapter, and will be soon...ish. I hope.)**

* * *

The song opens with a still shot of the front gates of Hope's Peak Academy and the '100 Years of Hope's Peak' banner hanging on it, lingering for a few seconds before changing to a shot of the building itself, windows glimmering into the sunlight. That shot also lingers a moment before it changes to one of one of the courtyards and then the Izuru Kamukura statue, each change in shot in time with the music. Then, the shot changes to show an empty classroom Academy, one which is bright and clean with sunlight streaming through the window and the chairs and desks neatly arranged, before then switching to another image of another classroom almost identical except for the fact it is shrouded in shadows, with the chairs askew and everything inside it looking distinctly old and weary. As the music builds up the shot pans up to the blackboard, and then zooms in to make the screen blackout, and then spotlights slowly start to appear in the black, picking out letters in a curlicue font:

AND SO IT BEGINS.

Once the whole title is illuminated, it lingers long enough to be read, and then the spotlights start to fade out again, making the screen black again just as the vocals start.

 _etai no shirenu mono ga_  
If you say you're scared of things as yet uncertain,

When the screen brightens again, it shows one of the Hope's Peak courtyards, empty apart from one figure walking across it resolutely-a willowy girl with red hair in the recognisable brown uniform of the main course. The camera zooms in on her from an angle slightly behind her, and suddenly she stops and turns, looking over her shoulder and therefore now facing the camera with an intense, green-eyed stare and a wary expression on her face. The background fades out for a moment, and grey block lettering appears next to her, announcing her as 'MIZUKI TERANAGA, SHSL PHILANTROPIST', before the background returns, the letters disappear, and the camera abruptly pans away in the direction of Mizuki's gaze, going towards the window of a building.

At this window, a slim, blond-haired boy wearing the black reserve course uniform neatly can be seen, apparently watching the outside (and, by implication, Mizuki) with an inscrutable expression. In a spidery blue font next to him, the words 'MOKOMICHI YAMASHITA, CLASS 3C' appear on the window and linger for a moment, disappearing as Mokomichi shrugs to himself and turns, moving away from the window.

 _kowai to iu nara mirai mo onaji da_  
let me point out the future is just that.

The scene then switches to the interior of a bright and sunny classroom, where two main course girls can be seen. One-athletic, with her blazer around her waist and sleeves shortened- is leaning against the board as she looks at her phone, but glances up and smiles, her copper-coloured ponytail swinging slightly and her dark brown eyes shining. There is writing on the board next to her in pink and yellow chalk, with an arrow pointing to her, so that the viewer knows she is 'MINAH KANG, SHSL TAEKWONDO MASTER'. The camera then turns to the girl at a desk in the middle of the classroom who is reading a heavy tome. Her blazer, unusually, is the same dark purple as her long, straight hair, but the rest of her uniform sticks to regulation. As if sensing someone is looking at her, she appears to give a little gasp, and then looks up at the camera with almond-shaped bluish green eyes. She holds her book up at the same time, and the words 'YUNA YOROKOBI, SHSL SEXOLOGIST' appear in a curlicue red and shimmery font with the 'O's made to look slightly like lovehearts over the cover of her book, indicating that this is who the girl is.

The camera then pans out slightly, and both Yuna and Minah are seen to look up and turn their heads towards the door…

 _sōzō shite goran_  
Come, try imagining

…where a new figure-a thin boy with a fur collared jacket over his uniform-has poked his head of thick, curly dark brown hair around the door. The camera zooms into his face, picking up on a cheeky smile and light blue eyes that he uses to wink at the camera. Letters in white, puffy letters like cloud trails proclaim him to be 'SHO NAKAJIMA, SHSL PILOT', before he abruptly turns and heads down the corridor. But rather than follow him down, the camera goes in the other direction, where another boy is scurrying along somewhat furtively. Even from a side profile it can be seen that his jawline has a somewhat foreign shape to it, and that his eyes-behind thick framed glasses-are electric blue and piercing. When he stops to catch his breath and flick some of his silver-dyed hair away from his face, the viewer gets a good look at him, and the name 'AZUKI SAWADA, SHSL SOCIAL MEDIA STAR' appears in neon purple digital-style lettering above his head.

 _umareta ano hi no koto_  
the day you were born.

The scene abruptly changes to show a large-built girl wearing an off-white lab-coat over a dark top and pair of trousers standing in what is quite clearly a high-end science laboratory, examining the contents of a test tube. She puts the test tube in a holder, consults a notebook next to her, then crosses the room to look at various files up on the large computer screen located there. Next to her as she works, there is a whiteboard, and there are various childrens' alphabet magnets arranged on there so that they read 'KEIKO USUI, SHSL LAUNDERER'. The image then slowly shifts into one of a notebook with the words 'SOSUKE MORI, SHSL JUDICAL SCRIVENER' written on it as a pen continues on, writing something illegibly, before panning out to reveal that the person holding that pen is an averagely-built boy with wire-framed glasses, narrow dark eyes and hair of a similar shade, sitting at a desk that looks like its contents exploded, in what appears to be the Student Council offices.

This scene also shifts slowly to reveal a different boy sitting at a different (for one thing, much cleaner) desk at an unknown location. He is wearing the black uniform of the Reserve Course neatly, and his long hair is tied in a loose ponytail held by a bluish-pink ribbon. It ruffles slightly with a breeze coming in from the window, which makes the boy look up, and the words 'KUMORI KUROGANE, CLASS 2C loop in silvery letters in the air, drifting away with said breeze as the camera pans in the opposite direction, out of the window.

 _Nakiwameita akagotachi wa_  
The infants crying at the top of their lungs

Outside, there is a person of indeterminate gender leaning against one side of a willow tree in a posture that looks both relaxed and practised. They look off into the distance, and a heavy brown fringe obscures most of their face, which is even-featured and of an olive complexion. When they reach up to take off the beret on their head, their long nails are particularly noticeable, as are their white fingerless gloves. White letters in a gothic font appear in the air for a moment to introduce them as 'SHINO HISAKAWA, CLASS 1A'. They then disappear as the camera pans around to the other side of the tree, where another girl is also taking shelter under the willow tree, sitting and sketching in a sketchpad. She is pretty, with a floral-fascinator headband in her curly lilac hair, and rose earrings that dangle as she scans whatever it is she is drawing. The top button of her shirt is undone revealing part of a small tattoo of what appears to be a black cat wearing a theatre mask. Etched into the bark just above her head are the words 'HANA OTSUKI, CLASS 2A'. The camera then pans up the tree to reveal a black-haired boy grinning so hard his eyes are practically shut-there is, curiously, what appears to be a scar across one of them. The tie of his Reserve Course uniform is loose, and he is strong enough to support himself in the tree with only one hand, as he lifts the other to wave. Letters in the same bright green as the single streak in his fringe appear in a graffiti-style font above his head, introducing him as 'KANEDA KAGANE, CLASS 3A'.

 _nanika o kanjitan darō_  
must have sensed something.

The scene then changes to show a slim, freckled quiet looking girl with pale blue hair leaning against the wall of the building, apparently lost in thought as she stares down at her feet. Interestingly, despite being a female, she is wearing trousers with her school uniform rather than a skirt. She appears to sigh, then push herself off the wall and walk around the corner, revealing slanted ink-blue handwriting on the wall reading 'MIHOKO SAKURAI, CLASS 3C'. When Mihoko has disappeared from view completely, the camera then goes around the corner as if to follow her, but instead of Mihoko being there, the viewer sees a different girl –a somewhat curvier figure, flowing long pink hair- in the wind as she strides. Suddenly, she turns around, revealing attractive features, golden eyes and a big grin as she points directly at the reviewer. Bold letters in gold appear above her head and proclaim her to be 'EMIKO SHISHIKANE, CLASS 1A'. She tilts her head slightly, as if listening to a response, then shrugs and turns back around again, and the scene starts to fade.

 _Mō ii kai?_  
"Are you ready?"

The scene fades to show Sosuke, Keiko, Yuna, Emiko, Shino and Sho sitting-some on stools, others on the floor in various poses- in a row in a room that is somewhat dim, but otherwise betraying no clues as to where it could be, particularly as most of the focus is on the students and their faces as the camera pans from Sosuke up to Sho, showing expressions that range from concerned to calm to defiant, but that all have determination with them as they stare straight ahead.

 _mō ii yo_  
"I'm ready"

Straight from Sho, the camera continues to pan over Kaneda, Kumori, Hana, Minah, Azuki, Mihoko and Mokomichi, who also appear to be in the same room, again all sitting in various positions, all staring at the camera with varying expressions that all have determination as a common thread between them.

 _bōryoku wa jibun ni tsukimatoi modoru mono_  
Violence is something that'd always follow you around, coming back to you.

The camera finally comes to rest on Mizuki, as with an equally determined expression, she too stares out, speaking something that can't be discerned, before the screen suddenly goes black, and the words 'BRIGHT LIGHTS RESULT IN DARK SHADOWS' flash up in a pale gold for a moment before the screen fades to white, and then a new montage of scenes start:

 _attōteki na kanjō  
daremo ubaenain da  
_It's an overwhelming emotion;  
no one can snatch it away.

A reporter stands in front of Hope's Peak, trying to catch the attention of students, reminiscent of the scene in the prologue. She attempts but fails to get Azuki, who scuttles away, and Sho, who grins at the camera and happily answers. Emiko is also caught, but she rolls her eyes and sighs even as she smiles beatifically and answers the questions, before she rushes away, the camera following her and the scene shifting to show Mizuki and Sosuke sitting in the Student Council room with other students-members of the Student Council-as they discuss things, Mizuki in particular seeming very impassioned as she makes her case. The scene then changes to show Emiko, dressed head-to-toe in black and identifiable only by her eyes, peering around the corner of a darkened corridor before looking behind her and beckoning to Shino and Azuki, both disguised in black and the latter cautiously holding his camera as they follow her down.

 _boku no jittaiken o motte  
sore ga nani ka o shōmei shiyō ka  
_Shall I use my personal experience  
to show you what it is?

The next scene change shows Mizuki, Shino, Mokomichi, Sho and Emiko poring over a map by the willow tree, while Mihoko and Hana hover, alternating between looking at what the five are doing and glancing around for any others who might be watching them. The camera picks up on Hana's sketchbook, open at a page that is showing the beginnings of a sketch of a small animal-most likely a bear-done in a cartoonish style. This scene lasts only for the briefest of moments before morphing to one in black and white, like a flashback, of a throng of students stampeding and screaming in the same location, near the willow tree. In this scene, Shino and Sho can be seen advancing and yelling, while Mizuki and Mokomichi are attempting to help Hana avoid being trampled and Kaneda flails in confusion. Keiko is also witnessed attempting to patch up an injured unidentified student, Sosuke using a loudspeaker to try and say something to the group, and Kumori, Yuna and Mihoko looking on in horror. The scene then changes back to a colour one, of Shino and Kumori standing in what appears to be a small graveyard half-hidden by trees. Tears are rolling down Kumori's face, but his pink eyes are full of rage as he kneels by a particular grave, but Shino, standing right behind him, is utterly unreadable as she places flowers down.

 _hito no tenteki wa hito de  
arata na gisei o umu  
_Humanity's greatest enemy is humanity itself,  
forever bringing to life new sacrifices.

Minah is then suddenly pictured sitting on a bench in a busy town centre, staring straight ahead at something that can't be seen, utterly alone as life goes on around her and she waits for something, before the scene changes to Keiko crying as she hugs Minah in an empty school corridor, then to one of Kumori screaming at Sho in what appears to be someone's living room while Kaneda desperately tries to get between them, then to one of Sosuke calmly pinning sheets of paper to a corkboard and using red string to connect one to another. Hana is portrayed in the next scene as trembling all over in a pink room that looks to be her bedroom as she feverishly shoves things into a bag before it switches to showing Sho standing on the roof of Hope's Peak at midnight, a breeze rippling at his clothes and hair before the scene switches yet again to Yuna kneeling and praying at a church altar, and then to one of Mizuki wiping away tears, then another of Mihoko sitting in a corner with her knees drawn up to her chest, and then finally one of Mokomichi staring down at his hands with a hollow expression.

 _konna taihaiteki sekai ja  
ima o ikiteru dake demo kyōkō nan darō_  
Within such a decadent world,  
it's truly a crime, just to be alive for this one moment.

The final set of scenes are more like images, lasting for brief moments and not making it clear who is being portrayed in them: A hand writing the words 'Mutual Killing Game' on a sheet of paper and decisively underlining it, a bloodstained t-shirt crumpled in the corner of a room, a pair of hands intertwining and gripping each other for dear life, a pair of shoes on the roof of a high-rise, a shot of someone running portrayed only from the legs downwards, a trashed classroom, and finally the image of a room that has no windows, with a corkboard on the wall (the same one Sosuke was portrayed using moments ago) and various stools, beanbags and a couple of rucksacks on the floor. The camera lingers on this room for a moment, before:

 _mirai wa isshu no kyokō da_  
The future itself is just one kind of fiction.

The camera pans down to the floor, at which point the scene changes to show a concrete walkway in the rain at night, focusing on a small gold '100' badge that has been abandoned there. The rain pelts it and the ground for a moment more, before the song ends and the screen abruptly goes black.


	7. Small Steps

Mokomichi noticed the huge blocks of rock the moment he passed the courtyard. There were two on the left side of the Izuru Kamukura statue, and two on the right side, each sectioned off with its own square of boundary tape. _So, they're going to make the statues right here? That's…._ Mokomichi was not an arty type by any stretch of the imagination, but that didn't make much sense to him. _I suppose there must be a reason. I wonder, what does Teranaga think of this? She's probably here already, she must have seen this._

Mokomichi blinked for a moment, before shaking his head and making his way to the West Building. He had been wondering about the clubs-he hadn't bothered with going to check out the clubs on the Main Course, but he knew that at least some of his classmates had. Had they been truly invited to try, or had it all been lip service in the end. Mizuki probably would have meant it, but he didn't see her joining a club or anything like that. The Student Council, maybe, but not a club. _But still…_

There was a part of him that wanted to do the ridiculous, to actually go over to the Main Course building, find Mizuki, ask her how things had gone in that regard. _But even though it's Teranaga, she's still a Main Course now. I should not have to drag myself to her. She should come to me._ So he did not follow his urge. Instead, he just kept going, brooding, and all the while looking around for a flash of familiar red hair.

"Heeeeey, Yamashita-kuuuun!"

Mokomichi turned to see the student that he knew as his year group's resident weirdo. It took him a moment to dredge up an actual name for the grinning boy.

"Morning, Kagane-kun."

"Please, I keep telling you, Kaneda is fine! But anyway, wonderful morning, isn't it?" he asked as he walked in step with Mokomichi.

"Mhm, I guess."

"Oh come on, don't be like that! Smile! The day's just beginning, after all, it can't be bad yet!"

Mokomichi smirked at that, he couldn't help himself. The boy sounded like _such_ an older brother (not that, as an only child himself, he could claim to be an expert on what an older brother should sound like). Then again, if Mokomichi did remember right, Kaneda did have a little sister.

"By that logic, you can't say it is wonderful already." He pointed out.

Kaneda frowned at this, his eyes opening for a moment in surprise. But he quickly brightened again, letting out one of his recognisable cackling laughs.

"You've got me there, friend!" he declared. "But anyway, how are you? Everything alright?"

"Yes, I suppose. You?"

"Oh, I'm just peachy! Why wouldn't I be? Have you signed up to the Talent Exchange Plan?" Kaneda changed the subject quickly.

"Yes, I have."

"Ooooh! Yamashita-kun, I didn't expect it of you! Here, have a sticker!"

Mokomichi sighed internally as they drew to a halt near the willow tree he had been near to with Mizuki yesterday, and watched as a very happy Kaneda dug through his trouser pockets and came up with a couple of sheets, which he then shoved at Mokomichi.

"There you go, friend, choose!"

Mokomichi sighed again, and thought, _what the hell, why not?_ He considered the colourful offerings, and eventually picked a vivid emerald-green smiley face, which he stuck to his bag. The colour reminded him of something, and feeling odd, he turned to Kaneda and thought of something to say that would keep the conversation at least somewhat normal.

"Yo, Yamashita!"

Mokomichi turned at that moment, and saw two of his classmates-and with them, an escape route. _Phew._

"See you later, Kagane-kun!"

"Kaneda, please! See you later!"

Grinning, Kaneda ran off, and Mokomichi went to his classmates with a huge sigh of relief.

"Morning." He greeted them.

"Did I hear you say you joined the Talent Exchange Plan?" one of them asked as they headed into the building.

"Maybe, if you were behind me. Or eavesdropping." Mokomichi shrugged. "Why?"

"That's what I should be asking you!" his classmate asked. "I thought you couldn't be bothered with the Main Course."

"I can't."

"Then…?" his other classmate asked, quizzical.

Mokomichi thought of the willow tree, of red hair and green eyes and the day he'd learnt what a collapsing world looked like. He remembered a promise that may have also been a challenge, a challenge that he had posed. He brought to mind the desire to see what happened once a legend became real. But he could talk about none of them. Especially not her. He did not want to.

So, instead, he shrugged. Slowly, deliberately, with an air of what he hoped was nonchalant bafflement.

"Why not?"

His two classmates gave him a baffled stare, and then they both shrugged themselves.

"Suppose I can't argue with that, even I'm curious." One of them said.

"Anyway, did you see….."

The conversation changed subject, much to Mokomichi's relief. But even so, his mind kept going back to all the things he had not wanted to say.

 **…**

If Keiko had been smaller in stature, she would have probably been floating, or at least walking in that floaty way people like Yuna and some of the other younger year students she knew did when they were happy. Even though the trainers she usually wore when going to the lab had long since become a size too small for her, her footsteps as she crossed over the courtyard to the East Building were still light. She'd been looking forward to her first lab session of the year all day.

"Yo, Usui-san!"

Keiko turned to see Sho walking across the courtyard, not seeming to be heading anywhere in particular. She noticed that his school uniform seemed slightly stained with oil or something similar today.

"Hello, Nakajima-kun." She greeted him. "Is everything alright? You look awfully…"

"Ah, yeah." Sho said with a practised ease. "One of the scouts was having trouble with their helicopters so I've just been fixing it up. I'm free the rest of the day though so I am going to chill a bit. Even SHSLs need their downtime, right?"

Sho grinned beguilingly, and at that moment, a grumble clearly emanated from his stomach.

"Nakajima-kun, you haven't eaten today, have you?"

Sho gave a sheepish grin.

"Ah, well, I had breakfast…" he replied. "But that helicopter, man that was a doozy."

"Make sure you eat now, okay, you don't want an unhappy tummy now, do you?"

Sho raised an eyebrow at her teasingly, and Keiko stared back for a moment, utterly baffled before it hit her. _Agrh, I need to stop doing that!_ Feeling her face go slightly red, she scrambled to apologise.

"Ah, sorry, that wasn't meant to come out like that! I'm so sorry!"

Sho laughed.

"It's cool, don't worry about it. And rest assured I'll be getting myself a bite to eat, okay…. 'Mum'?"

 _No, I'm not 'Mum'. Not yet, not yet._ But Keiko simply smiled and nodded.

"Take care of yourself then, Nakajima-kun."

Sho saluted her, and then sauntered off. Keiko quickly scuttled off, hoping to outrun her embarrassment. Gradually though, as she got closer to the East Building, she slowed down, and felt her face cool a little.

There were a few other main course students milling around the building, heading to or leaving various lab or workshop sessions. She greeted the few she knew, and they smiled back at her, but she didn't slow down or stop until she reached the corridor that 'her' lab was located on.

 _Lab 22, Lab 23,_ she mentally counted as she walked past each room, even though as a third year she knew them all well now. _Observation Room 3, Lab 24….ah, Lab 25._

The clock on the bookings screen read 12:50, and showed the room was currently 'UNOCCUPIED'. Under this, the list of that day's future bookings were clearly displayed, and her name and time slot were the first on the list. She double-tapped it to bring up the check-in screen, then took her Electro-ID from her lab coat pocket, and scanned it on the reader underneath.

' _Welcome, KEIKO USUI, SHSL LAUNDERER'_ ," the check in screen now read. _'Are you taking this session alone?'_

Keiko tapped the 'Yes' button. The screen blinked, and then a new message appeared.

' _Thank you, Usui-san, you are now booked in for Lab Time. Please enter._ '

The door made a slight click sound, and Keiko pushed on it. It opened smoothly, and letting out a soft sigh of relief, she went through and closed the door softly behind her. She put her bag down in the safe area, and after taking out her notepad and pens, she sealed it off, before going to put on a pair of goggles and gloves. She logged into the computer, and got up the information she needed on the screen. Laying out her notebook on the table next to the computer, she took a look at her notes to see what she needed to set up, then went and did it.

And as she bustled around, she finally felt at peace.

 **…**

Mizuki walked up to the entrance of 99B and paused, taking a moment to collect herself. She wasn't nervous, as such, but she needed that moment. It was entirely possible that Azuki hadn't seen her message, but on the other hand, it wouldn't do any particular harm to go and see if she could make first contact in person. _Go on, Mizuki…_

"Excuse me?" she asked, poking her head around the door, where a small group of students were eating lunch out of bento boxes-none of them Azuki. One looked up.

"A first year! What are you doing here?"

"Do you know where Sawada-sempai might be?" she asked. "I want to talk to him about something."

"Ehh, you a fan?"

Mizuki opened her mouth to reply, but another of the second-years jumped in.

"If it's an autograph or whatever, it ain't happening, honey. That boy is _so_ stuck up for a celeb, even if he is totally cool online."

"I know, right?" the first exclaimed.

"But did you see the video he put up last night? That was _here_!"

"Yeah, I know! How did we miss Fumi-kun _wandering around the school_?! We may even have managed to catch an autograph or selfie if we'd known!"

Mizuki just stared at them, still smiling, then carefully cleared her throat.

"I am here about his work, but it's more a buisness related matter." She clarified when they looked at her.

"Oh?" the girl who had initially answered her raised an eyebrow. "That's a new one. Well…you could try the canteen. If not, then he's probably hiding and yeah, no point bothering then."

 _I suppose that's the most I'll get here._

"Alright," she nodded. "Thank you."

"Good luck, kiddo!" one of the girls called out as Mizuki left.

Purposefully, she headed down to the canteen, and looked around. At a glance, Azuki was nowhere to be found, but it was crowded. _Perhaps I should get some lunch while I am at it…_ she went to join the queue, and continued looking around.

"Teranaga-san!"

Mizuki startled, and turned.

"Kang-sempai." She greeted, surprised at how relieved she was to see a friendly face. "Hello."

"Are you alright?" Minah asked.

"Yes, I am. I don't suppose you've seen Sawada-sempai anywhere, have you?" Mizuki inquired.

Minah frowned prettily for a moment, then shook her head.

"Sawada-san? You mean from Class 99B? I'm afraid not. Were you wanting to see him urgently?"

"Buisness matters." Mizuki said, and she would have left it at that if it wasn't for the fact that Minah looked concerned, and she had been the first friendly face here.

"His charitable works have a similar focus to most of my philanthropic ones," Mizuki explained. "I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to work together here."

"Oh yes, that makes sense," Minah nodded. "And I think he is interested in helping the Reserve Course too."

"Mhm."

"But yeah, I haven't seen him around. But he does tend to keep to himself-I think he can find the popularity overwhelming. I could ask someone to pass on a message?"

"No, that's fine. But thanks for the offer."

The girls stopped their conversation as they selected and paid for their food, and then walked around, looking for a table.

"Do you have anyone to sit with today?" Minah asked her suddenly.

"No, I don't."

Mizuki had only met Minah yesterday, but she knew what would come next, and was glad of it.

"Well then, come and sit with us."

"Okay."

 **…**

Crossing the boundary was always a risk.

Of course, Kumori knew that there was technically no real boundary between the Main Course and the Reserve Course. No chain link fences or electric gates partitioning off the West Building and its grounds from the rest of the school, no alarms that would go off if someone tripped a laser that shielded the Main Course's vast lands. Nothing so obvious. But all the same, the risk was there, and in the months he'd been coming to be tutored by Riko, he'd learnt that caution paid. And so it was caution that he used while crossing across the courtyard to find the East Courtyard, the one with the benches that Riko often liked to use when the weather was fine as it was on this nice Tuesday afternoon ("you'd fall asleep if we were in a classroom or the library all the bloody time. " Riko often liked to say).

As he walked, a few milling Main Course students gave him an odd look, but thankfully, this time, none of them approached. Though he did hear two of them whisper to themselves about him. _But that, in comparison to what could happen, is nothing._ The relief made him smile slightly, and when he walked past the Izuru Kamukura statue (and the squared off blocks waiting to be carved into the likenesses of the other principals), his stride quickened.

When he got to the East Courtyard, he instantly spotted Riko sitting at a bench in the middle, books spread out. Apparently sensing his arrival, she looked up and her usual scowl was replaced by a broad grin.

"Kumori!" she called out.

"Splendid afternoon, isn't it, Riko-kun?" he replied heartily as he swiftly went to join her.

"Hmm, I don't know about that."

Riko's smile faded away, and Kumori looked carefully at her.

"Is something-"

Riko cut him off with a tired wave of the hand.

"It's more of the usual bullshit, you know? Anyway, get your books out. And redo your ponytail, it's coming loose."

Kumori blinked, and reached up to his inky hair. Sure enough, the ribbon that he used it to tie it into its usual loose ponytail was coming out. _Good thing I didn't lose it._ Quickly, he re-tied it and then got his books out.

"Right, now then….."

The next hour or so were very productive, and Kumori was glad of it, but eventually, he began to tire, and it was at that moment two Main Course boys strolled up to them.

"Oho, this looks very cosy." One of them said.

"We're _studying_." Riko said bitingly.

"Is that what they're calling it now?" the other boy-who seemed vaguely familiar to Kumori, though not in a threatening way-asked.

"Uhh….." Kumori stuttered, looking at the textbooks, exercise books and pencils they had spread out.

"You're an idiot, Nakajima." Riko told the second boy shortly, going slightly pink.

"Oh, Izumi-Chan, I'm hurt. Surely you know me better than that?" Nakajima said, putting a hand to his chest and assuming a mock-hurt expression.

"Yes, which is why I said you're an idiot. Now can you kindly piss off? Like I said, we're studying."

"Geez, chill. We're supposed to be friendly to Reserve Course students and all that shit, right?" the first boy said.

"I…no need to force yourself if...you do not want." Kumori managed.

Both boys stared at him, and Kumori twitched uncomfortably. _Was that the wrong thing to say?_ But after a moment, Nakajima shrugged and grinned at them.

"Well, enjoy your 'studying'!" he said, winking.

Riko sighed heavily as the two boys sauntered off. The pink had faded from her cheeks, but it seemed to have leeched some of her usual colour, too.

"Riko-kun?"

"Well, now would be a good time for a break, wouldn't it?" she sighed heavily, leaning back and staring at the blue sky for a moment.

"Riko-kun, has something happened?"

"Like I said, Kumori, same old bullshit," She said, still looking at the sky. "Just the same old."

Kumori sensed that Riko wanted to say something more, and he waited. Sure enough:

"They want me to write an essay. A commemorative essay."

"Oh?"

"You know, the entire history of Hope's Peak from the moment it opened and blah-de-blah," Riko waved a tired hand. "And all the wonderful things that came from it like the Fujisaki Programming systems all schools use and the At Sushi restaurant chain and …I'd be here all day if I listed every frigging one now, wouldn't I? They want to turn it into a history book, or something."

"That's….."

"I know, 'wonderful opportunity' right?'"

Riko laughed bitterly.

"I would have said 'interesting', myself." Kumori said carefully. "I don't know what to say….I guess, like most people our age says, 'that sucks'."

Kumori chuckled awkwardly, and Riko gave him a bug-eyed stare, before shaking her head tiredly, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Kumori, never say 'that sucks' again, please."

"Whatever you say, Riko-kun."

There was a silence, and Kumori waited, and Riko eventually returned to looking at him, expression carefully neutral.

"So…..the centenary, what do you think about it?"

"Well….a hundred years is a long time for something to exist." Kumori started, and then paused.

 _What do I feel about this?_ Before he could really formulate any sort of answer to that, Riko snorted, rolled her eyes heavily and fired another question at him.

"Are you going to go for the Talent Exchange Plan?"

Kumori just stared, earning him a heavy sigh.

"I mean, I know that loads of people will say that technically, we're already doing that. And yeah, SHSL Scholar helping with studying, perfect example, blah blah blah. But these aren't skills that you _want_ , are they?"

"Well, no, I just need to keep my grades up. Not that I am not eternally grateful to you, Riko, for still continuing to tutor me and-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get the point. But your dreams….maybe you could actually go for them. There's no hope for me-hope, hah! But you…."

"I….."

Kumori took out his ID and laid it on the bench table, unlocking it and accessing the Talent Exchange Plan form. It stared up at him, just as he stared down at it for a moment before returning his gaze to his close friend. What could he say, to try and make her feel better? There was nothing he could do, after all, to free her from the chains that her talent bound her in. He thought of his own dreams and ambitions. There was certainly no SHSL of the talent his dream consisted of in the school currently, but then again, it wasn't the _talent_ he wanted, just the dream.

 _But such a silly dream._

"I….can't."

Now it was Riko's turn to stare down at the form for a moment, before looking up at him with a soft expression that made his voice catch in his throat. Riko was good at many things, most beyond the talent she was defined by, but softness was not one of those things.

 _Riko-kun, talk to me._

"Boil it down to the skills that you think it involves, then you can write those without actually mentioning it. I'll help you."

Kumori hesitated. _Could I…could I really? Could this year really actually mean something?_ He sighed. It was not as if he would know if he never tried. So with some misgivings, he nodded and pushed the ID over slightly so that Riko could see it better. Then, they worked together to fill it in.

 **…**

Today had been a good day for Hana.

She had, after much hesitation, gone to seek out that brash first-year student who'd been trying to drum up interest in a Reserve Course-only Drama Club and signed up to it. And then that afternoon, she'd found out that she'd been put forward to help with the designing of the statues of the other principals. Who had noticed that she drew, she had no idea (she hadn't even thought anyone important at this school would have even bothered noticing anything one of the so called lower classes were interested in), but they had and it was wonderful and also a little scary. It'd made her feel better enough about life that she'd decided to try and make an effort in the class straight after the announcement, and she'd written a letter to Riku to tell him about it, posting it on her way home. And now she was actually at the front door, she was still smiling-mostly on the inside, but still smiling.

"I'm home!" she called out as she opened the door and stepped in.

There was no answer, but she hadn't been expecting one. If her parents were home at this time, they'd probably be knee-deep in work in their studies, and wouldn't even hear her. So she just headed upstairs, and started to get changed.

"Meow." Came a noise from her pillow.

"Oh, hi, Misty," Hana greeted her fluffy white cat as she hung up her school uniform. "Have you had a good day? I have, surprisingly. Let me tell you about it…"

Hana continued to softly prattle to her cat, who remained curled up on the pillow regarding her and looking for all the world as if she found it all intensely interesting. _Well, I suppose Misty doesn't see me happy all this time…_ but then, all too suddenly, she was interrupted by the sound of her father calling her.

"Hana! Come to my study!"

"Coming, Dad."

Misty mewled sympathetically, and Hana went to hug her for a brief moment before heading out of her bedroom and across to her father's study. The door was closed, and she knocked before pushing it open gently.

Her father was busy writing something, but he looked up at the sound of her.

"I'm here now, Dad."

 _Why do you want to see me?_ She wanted to ask, _do you want to ask me about my day, and actually care about it?_

"The Talent Exchange Plan, have you enrolled on it?"

 _Never mind, then._

"No, I haven't."

"Whyever not? We're not sending you to that school just to waste away. Here's a golden opportunity for you to actually make something of yourself. Get yourself on the level of someone with an SHSL."

"It doesn't actually happen, Dad," Hana managed to say. "There aren't Reserve Course students who become SHSLs."

To her surprise, this made her father laugh, rather than rage at her for impertinence. But somehow, this seemed worse, and Hana stiffened.

"Perhaps if you were actually making an effort, you'd know that there is," he said. "I was at a buisness meeting, which Shishikane-san and Mori-san were attending as well, and Mori-san happened to mention that his son is on the Student Council of the Main Course with a girl called Mizuki Teranaga, a name that Shishikane's daughter has mentioned too. You recognise the name?"

Hana knew the Mori family, vaguely, and had been aware that their eldest son was on the Main Course, but hadn't realised that Shishikane's daughter had started at the school. _Wasn't she at boarding school? Maybe she's joined the Reserve Course._ Hana wondered what it was she should feel, or do, about that, but forced herself to answer the question at hand, which wasn't about either of those two families.

"Teranaga Trade?"

"Mhm." Her father displayed no pride in her correct answer, just steamrolled on. "Anyway, this Mizuki Teranaga was on the Reserve Course until the untimely demise of her parents, at which point she took time off to deal with their affairs…and now she's on the Main Course. SHSL Philanthropist, no less."

Hana thought she could sense a slight sense of disapproval in her father's voice, though she couldn't imagine why. Philanthropy meant money, buisness, something high-flying, unlike writing stories or scripts, unlike acting or drawing or any of the things that were important to Hana. _Because nothing that's important to me is ever good enough…_

"So it is indeed possible, and I do not know why you are not taking the opportunity. "

There was a pause, and Hana stared. _Is there a question here? What do I say?_

"You don't get anywhere without effort, Hana, I have told you countless times. Rather than prancing around writing stories and mooning over that boyfriend of yours, you should follow in Mizuki Teranaga's footsteps. Stop being so lazy, for once in your life."

"But…." Hana dredged up the words about the new club, about the statues, but her father shook his head.

"I don't want to hear the protests. I want to be able to tell people my daughter is getting herself on the same level as SHSLs and following in the footsteps of that girl, so I want you to get your ID, or log into the computer-in fact, you can sign in to your school's site right here and now, and fill in whatever it is you need to fill in right in front of me."

Still, Hana hesitated, and then her father delivered the final blow.

"You know what will happen if you don't make an effort, don't you?"

 _Riku._ The thought of a final, irreversible separation tore at her heart. And just like that, her father had her. Meekly, she nodded, and her father nodded triumphantly, gesturing at his computer.

"You may even gear it towards all that acting lark, if you so wish, since I hear you can choose to gain whatever skill you want." He added as she logged on, as an afterthought.

"Thank you, Dad." Hana said, the obligation of it feeling like glass in her throat.

Over the next hour, she painstakingly and painfully filled in the form, the dancing words even more restless from the pressure of her father standing over her shoulder, telling her off for being lazy, telling her that a girl her age should know how to spell properly. But somehow, despite that and the rising resentment within her, she managed it to her father's satisfaction, and after that hour, she was finally able to escape.

And escape she did, practically running back to her bedroom, flinging the door open, almost slamming it shut, and diving into her bed. Misty meowed and padded the few steps from the pillow to Hana, who hugged the large cat tightly, stroking her thick fur and crying into it. Thoughts and feelings swirled and swamped her, but out of all them, one shone through clearly:

 _I hate this Mizuki Teranaga person._

* * *

 **Characters introduced this chapter:**

 **Kumori Kurogane, Class 2B (created by: zephryr)  
Kaneda Kagane, Class 3A (created by: Trust Me I'm Me)**

 **Almost done with the character introductions, though with that being said, there isn't necessarily going to be the structure of 'chapters introducing characters, then continue' so there might be a chapter in between that doesn't have new introductions, but all the character introductions will be done before a particular plot point which is going to come up in about...three to six chapters, thereabouts? And as I said, there are only a few left now-three, to be precise.**

 **But anyway, hope you like this, and as always, if you can, do leave feedback.**


	8. All These Hidden Things

On Thursday, Mizuki discovered the graveyard.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and with a whole day devoted to Talent Development, she had spent the morning visiting a hospital to check over the final details of the new school wing they were adding to the children's ward ahead of its opening date in two weeks' time, had caught up on admin over lunch (including another unsuccessful attempt to meet Azuki), and now, before she was due to meet with Principals Hinata and Naegi, she was taking an actual break by walking around the grounds.

And right at the very, very edge of the grounds, tucked away in a copse that led into the woods, was a graveyard. A very small one, the rounded stones covered with moss and ivy and other plants, left neglected. But all the same, a graveyard.

 _Is this part of the school?_ She wondered. _What a curious place to place a graveyard._ Looking around her cautiously, she stepped in, and knelt at the nearest stone. This one, she noticed, wasn't as covered in greenery, and indeed looked a great deal newer than the rest. She frowned at it.

 _Shouta Takahata, SHSL Hockey Player.  
8_ _th_ _May 2014-15_ _th_ _September 2031_

"Wasn't that…." She frowned as she mused aloud. "Yes, it was, wasn't it?"

She didn't remember hearing about a death of a Main Course student last year, but maybe she wouldn't necessarily have. There had been such a lot going on. _This can't actually be where he is buried, though…_ she got up, and went to read the different gravestones, and sure enough, all 45 of them were all of various former Main Course students over the course of the years. A handful had died during the Second World War, there was one whose death dates indicated they'd probably died in some of the natural disasters that had occurred in the early 2000s.

"So presumably, they all died during their time here. But why are their memorials all tucked away here?"

Of course, there was nobody to answer, and the dead weren't about to. Especially as she was fairly sure they weren't buried here at all, considering the size and shape of the stones. These had to be little more than memorials, but Mizuki could not imagine that they were getting very well remembered here.

 _And, now I'm thinking of it,_ Mizuki wondered as the thought occurred to her, _why are there no Reserve Course graves? Surely there were some tragedies in that time, too….._

There was no breeze, and it was not even cold, but Mizuki wrapped her arms around herself, cold, suddenly. Her eyes drifted over to the recent grave, of Shouta Takahata, and even though she hadn't the faintest idea who this person had been beyond the sparse details on the stone, she wanted to cry. But she didn't.

Instead, she came up with a plan.

 **…**

"So, I think that's moving things along nicely." Hinata said, closing the lid of his laptop decisively. "Wouldn't you say so, Naegi?"

"I definitely would. It's good having you around, Teranaga-san, you're really giving this school more hope." Naegi agreed with a warm smile.

 _You shouldn't have needed me here to do these things,_ Mizuki thought. _Some of them should have been a given right from the start._ But rather than say this, she just smiled, and waited for her moment.

"So, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Hinata asked her.

"The graveyard."

A pin could have been heard drop in the silence that followed this. Naegi and Hinata both just stared at her, and she patiently gazed back.

"When you say 'graveyard'….." Naegi hesitantly said after a moment, sneaking a glance at Hinata.

"The one that's just edging the forest over there," Mizuki gestured in the rough direction the graveyard would be. "You know, hidden in a copse."

"Ah, yes," Naegi nodded, his smile returned but looking more forced this time. "What's the issue with it?"

"Why is it there?"

"Well, over the course of 100 years, it's inevitable that all sorts of students come through our gates, and that all sorts of things happened to them. Including, sadly, some of them dying while they are here. Though, of course, most of the time never on the grounds….at least, never intentionally." Naegi started.

"So it's a discreet sort of memorial to them, to acknowledge their presence and passing." Hinata concluded.

"The way you've got it, it's _hidden_ , not discreet." Mizuki cuttingly said.

A pause, and another look exchanged between the two principals. Then, Hinata sighed.

"How did you find it?"

"By accident, essentially. I was just taking a walk." Mizuki said. "Which I think underlines my point, does it not? And it's not just hidden, it's derelict. Nobody looks after them, or visits them? What sort of memorial is that?"

"Well…the thing is, we don't really want to over-emphasise the dead," Naegi started carefully. "If we were to make a big deal over these graves, then it might demoralise the living. It might…make them less inclined to be the best they can, or so we have been advised."

As softly, softly as Naegi was being, Mizuki knew full well what he meant, and she saw red. _That's not the only thing that matters._ She also found herself wishing she could curse the ones who would have advised Hinata and Naegi as such.

"Well, I suppose that answers my next question, as to why there are no Reserve Course student graves-because there must have been tragedies there too, right?" she asked.

"I…well, we're not too sure…." Naegi said.

"However, we are sure that no Reserve Course students have died since we've taken over." Hinata said. "You can rest assured of that."

"That doesn't reassure me, actually. " Mizuki saw no reason to pussyfoot around the issue. "What would reassure me is the permission to get graves up for any Reserve Course students who did die, and to make the graveyard more visible."

"We can't make it more visible, it's not negotiable," Hinata responded. "Our advisors have stated very clearly that such a visible reminder of death is detrimental to the potential of our students."

For all the world, it sounded like he was reciting lines that had been given to him-and knowing what lay behind them, that had likely been the case. If it wasn't for the fact that the advisors were in a meeting of their own right now, she'd have challenged them directly. Instead:

"I'd argue that in some cases, the _opposite_ happens."

 _Take me, for example. Would I necessarily have become a philanthropist at this point in my life if Mum and Dad hadn't….? Maybe sometime down the line, yes, but not soon enough to gain a title from this school for it._

"Oh, Teranaga-san…" Naegi said, pityingly.

"Can it at least be cleaned?" she asked briskly. "Visible or no, it's disrespectful not to."

"Yes…that should be fine, right, Hinata-san?"

"I don't see why not."

"And as for a stone for the Reserve Course students….if you can compile a list of names, you may arrange for a collective gravestone to be made for them. Look through the library for records, or you could ask our Scholar?"

"Your scholar?" Mizuki repeated quizzically, blinking at Naegi.

"Our SHSL Scholar. You should know her, she's in the Student Council. Riko Izumi?" Hinata asked.

"Oh, yes, that is right."

Mizuki felt like there was so much more to say, so much more to fight for. _But, I have my entire time here to do that. And I should get started on this before they change their mind. Or before their advisors change their mind._

"Well, I should get going. This was a fruitful discussion, so thank you."

Mizuki stood up, gathering her things, and headed to the door.

"Not a problem, Teranaga-san. Enjoy the rest of your day." Naegi said.

But she didn't respond, as she was already making a list in her head of the many things she needed to do now.

 **…**

When Mizuki entered the library, there were a few students here and there, some sitting at desks, others at computers and a few browsing the shelves. Some, Mizuki nodded with pleasure, were Reserve Course students. _Perhaps if we can get more Reserve Course students using this library, we won't need to build one for them. We shouldn't need to anyway, it's all the same school._ None of them, as far as she could see, were Riko. It was possible she'd be around the corner, or further down, but even so, it didn't matter for now.

 _Now, where are the newspaper archives…?_ Mizuki wondered, looking around as she wandered deeper into the library, picking an aisle at random to head down. She went down a few more aisles, turned a few corners, and eventually found what she was looking for and started searching for papers in the first year that the Reserve Course would have opened-1982.

"What are you doing here?"

Startled, Mizuki looked up to see Riko, still looking haggard, but now with a hint of bafflement to her.

"Some research." She answered. "Actually, maybe you could help me?"

Riko's mouth twisted into a sneer.

"Why, because I'm supposed to know how?" she said, half-spitting.

Mizuki bristled-she'd only made a simple inquiry, there was no reason for the older girl to be so rude.

"The Principals suggested you'd be able to help me." She stated coldly.

Riko narrowed her eyes.

"So yes, it is because I'm supposed to know. Bloody typical." Riko went on to mutter something else under her breath, staring down at her feet.

"If you can't, just tell me that." Mizuki said. "I don't know what your problem is, but please do not take it out on me."

Riko's head snapped up at that, and she tipped her head slightly, assessing Mizuki. Eventually, she let out a sigh.

"Tell me, what you need to know."

The words were heavy and weary, and suddenly, just as the fight seemed to have drained out of Riko, so it slipped away from Mizuki.

"You don't need to do my research for me, necessarily. Just point me in the right direction…"

She then went on to briefly describe the graveyard situation, and Riko nodded, actually seeming engrossed. But there was something else creeping into her dark, shadowed eyes, something cloudy Mizuki couldn't discern but most certainly did not like. She muttered something else indiscernible-though she did manage to catch something like 'know what to expect' in amongst it-then took a few seconds more to think.

"What you want is the school census records, they usually have it all listed by the year. The Reserve Course ones are the black books, the Main Course the brown, they store them near to where the yearbooks are, on the other side of the library. I'll walk you there."

Riko started to walk off before Mizuki could say anything, so with whirling thoughts, Mizuki quickly followed Riko to a small set of shelves deep in the back of the library. She stopped halfway along, and pulled out a small black book.

"These are the ones for 1982 so…well, knock yourself out. Oh, and if you want things to clean stone with, check the store room nearest to your classroom."

Mizuki nodded.

"Alright," she said. "I'll let you get back to your work."

Riko once again curled her lip, and let out a bitter laugh before walking away and leaving Mizuki to get on with it. She duly did so, going through each book, listing the names on a memo on her Electro-ID and mailing it to herself. By the time she got to 30 names, she was only up to the year 2000, and her back ached.

 _How many more names am I going to find?_ She wondered. _And why are there so many?_ 45 over 100 years compared to 30 across 18 years-the contrast couldn't be more records only listed names, classes and dates, nothing else. But there had to be a story there, there had to be. With a sigh, she put the 2000 record back, and headed out to find a chair she could drag to the shelves and set up, to make looking through the remaining 31 books easier.

"Is someone sitting there, do you know?" she asked the girl sitting next to the first chair she spotted-one that, happily enough, had a foldaway desk attached.

The girl startled and almost dropped her book-a Mills and Boon novel-as she looked up at Mizuki with butterfly-lashed blue-green eyes.

"No….." she said.

"Alright then, may I take it?"

"I don't see why not…where to, though?"

"The census record shelves." Mizuki replied. "I think I'm going to be stuck there quite a while."

"Would it not make sense to bring the books out to the desk?" the girl asked quizzically.

"I, well…." Mizuki fidgeted awkwardly as her back twinged. "There's a lot to get through."

The girl just blinked, quizzically. Mizuki stared back at her, and then, on an impulse, decided to explain what she was doing. The thought of quietly defying the wishes for the graveyard to remain unknown pleased her.

When she had finished, the girl looked even more quizzical.

"How…bizarre." The girl said. "A graveyard in a school, that's very strange. Hmmm…."

"It's hidden away, as I said, so not many know about it. I probably wouldn't have discovered it for a while if I hadn't stumbled across it by accident-especially considering I'm in the first year."

"You are? Oh! How rude of me, I should have asked for your name!" the girl exclaimed suddenly.

"It's alright, I didn't ask for yours either. But now you mention it, I'm Mizuki Teranaga, SHSL Philanthropist, using she/her pronouns. You?"

"Yuna Yorokobi, most definitely a female, and I am the SHSL Sexologist from Class 99A. It's a pleasure to meet you-wait, you're not laughing at me, are you?"

"No…..?" Mizuki replied, slightly confused.

"Oh."

Yuna blinked, blushing slightly. There was an awkward silence as the two stared at each other, and then Mizuki let out a breath and reached for the chair, folding it up so she could carry it.

"I think I'd better get along. It was nice to meet you, Yorokobi-sempai."

 **…**

She spotted Mokomichi strolling across a courtyard when she arrived back from the store-room weighted down with both the cleaning products she'd found there, and the flowers that she'd bought from the shop she'd nipped out to just before that. He hadn't, as far as she saw, noticed her at all, so she decided to stop and call out.

"Yamashita-kun!"

He startled, turned this way and that before his gaze fell on her. He simply stared at her for a moment, before then sauntering over.

"Hello, traitor."

Mizuki gave an irritated sigh.

"Greetings to you, too. Are you doing anything?"

Mokomichi shrugged nonchalantly.

"Not particularly. Why?"

"Walk with me, and I'll explain."

Mokomichi considered this, but it was clear he was just taking the time for the sake of it, for he eventually shrugged again.

"Sure."

So they walked, and for the third time, Mizuki explained everything. Mokomichi listened intently, but said nothing until they actually got there.

"There's actually a….that's kinda fucked up."

"Well, if it was actually displayed as a memorial, it wouldn't be so much. But the way it is now…"

Mizuki let her thoughts trail away as she put her bags down and started to take the items out. In the meantime, Mokomichi wandered around the stones, kneeling and reading names every so often. When he got to the one of Shouta Takahata, he stopped dead, and didn't move until Mizuki called his name. Then, he turned and looked at her, but didn't react.

"Did you know that person?" she asked, softly.

A silence, softened only by a soft breeze rustling the trees around them. Mokomichi looked straight at Mizuki, but it seemed that he wasn't looking at her at all.

"Yamashita-kun?"

"I suppose you could say that." He answered eventually. He shifted slightly, and now he definitely was looking at her, a fact which filled her with relief.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's nothing to be sorry for. Just the opposite. So," he said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Well, just clean up a little, then leave some flowers. It's at least a start, don't you think?" she asked.

"Well, I guess we have to start somewhere." Mokomichi shrugged as he grabbed some cleaning equipment.

 _I think that's a good response…_

"Exactly."

They worked in silence for the next while, and though the silence had a weird quality that Mizuki could not quite pin down, highlighted by a warm swell of something when she looked over at Mokomichi had at work, it was also nice. Companionable. Which was incredibly strange, considering the companion in question was one who called her traitor, yet somehow all the same she was glad of it.

But then, Mizuki could feel someone staring intently at her, and when she glanced over at Mokomichi, he was so engrossed in scrubbing moss off of a stone, that she knew it could not be him. So she turned to the entrance of the copse, and sure enough, there was a person standing there. A person in Main Course uniform-they were wearing a brown plaid skirt, but despite that Mizuki found herself hesitant to call them a girl-leaning against one of the trees, face half obscured by a thick brown fringe and a beret with a white rose atop their head.

"Took you long enough to notice me." The person said with a slight laugh.

"What are you doing?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mokomichi look up, take in the person, and swiftly go back to what he was doing without bothering to acknowledge them.

"Why, I'm watching you, of course. Didn't think people knew about this place, it's so ridiculously unkempt."

"No, people aren't supposed to know about it. It's 'demoralising'."

"Says who?"

"The Principals."

"What? Oh, the heads of the school? Of course it was them, they have such a stick up their ass."

"They're not that bad…." Mizuki started, before stopping. _Is that really true? Is it?_

 _But Principal Hinata is…..he's….._

"Who are you, anyway? An SHSL or something?" The person asked, snapping Mizuki out of her thoughts.

"I am, he isn't." Mizuki said, attempting to bring Mokomichi into the conversation.

The person looked over at Mokomichi, and grinned. Mokomichi did not look up, instead making a point of continuing doing what he was doing.

"Oh yeah, I've seen you around. Third year, right?"

A second, and then another, but when Mokomichi didn't answer, Mizuki heaved a sigh. _You're not exactly making things easy for yourself, you know?_ She would definitely be giving him a piece of her mind later, once this person had gone.

"That's Mokomichi Yamashita, using male pronouns, and he's in Class 3C of the Reserve Course, yes. I'm Mizuki Teranaga, SHSL Philanthropist, Class 100A. I use female pronouns. You?"

"Shino, first year on the Reserve Course aka hell, and I use they/them and all that."

"You're on the Reserve Course?"

Mokomichi finally looked up, and stared at Shino with undisguised surprise.

"Oh, now you respond?!" Mizuki asked him crossly.

"Yeah, I am, why do you-ohh, I get it. The uniform!"

Shino gestured down at themselves and then grinned back up at Mizuki and Mokomichi.

"Yeah, no, I'm definitely on the Reserve Course."

"So what's with the uniform?" Mokomichi asked. "Hoping to be one of them?"

"Oh hell no," Shino cackled wickedly. "It's just another middle finger to stick up to the establishment, you know?"

"Not really…" Mizuki responded, unsure of what to make of Shino.

"Ah, well, you should be asking yourself-why do the two courses have different uniforms?"

Mizuki frowned at Shino, and Shino stared back. Mokomichi got up from where he had been and ambled over to them. Eventually, Shino sighed.

"Never mind. So…what's going here?"

"Cleaning, as you can see." Mokomichi answered smartly. "Teranaga here is hoping to get stones put up for the Reserve Course dead-she's researched them all."

"Oh?"

Shino regarded Mizuki with interest, bushing their fringe away to fix her with a fully scrutinising gaze for a moment before letting the fringe fall back.

"There a lot of them, then?"

"Too many." Mizuki answered quietly. _Too many._

"Any from 10 years ago?"

"…" Mizuki regarded Shino. "Is there a particular reason you want to know?"

"Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. "

Shino gave a slow shrug that could have rivalled one of Mokomichi's shrugs, and swivelled around to take in the graveyard fully. There was nothing in their demeanour that gave any of what they might have been thinking away. Eventually, Shino turned and grinned at them both.

"I'll help you out here in return for the information. Then maybe I'll tell you what it is I'm looking for. Maybe."

"Really?" Mokomichi asked, raising an eyebrow at Shino's carefully-put together look.

Shino raised an eyebrow back, and with dramatic flair, slowly pulled their gloves off, and laid them down on the grass next to where they was standing, before rolling up their shirt sleeves and then marching meaningfully to the bag of equipment, and pulling out a pair of garden scissors. Then, they looked over at Mizuki. _Prove yourself,_ that look said, though how exactly she was supposed to that, and in relation to _what_ , the look didn't tell.

 _Just what do I need to do, to satisfy you both?_ She wondered bitterly, looking over at Mokomichi who was still waiting curiously. _What do I do?_ Helpless, she nodded, and made a point of deliberately turning back to the task she'd been doing before Shino's arrival. A few moments later, she could hear Shino snipping at the climbing plants that swallowed up some of the stones, and she heard Mokomichi scrubbing busily again, and eventually, the silence of before returned.

But the companionship that had been there before had now gone.

 **…**

There was something oddly calming about the monotony of laundry. Or maybe not calming as such, because Keiko did not feel content or at rest or any of the things that the word suggested, but the repetitive procedures were second nature to her, as was zipping from load to load to make sure that it was all washing properly, hanging them out to dry, and all the rest of it, and she did not have to think to do any of it. All she had to do was exist in an autopilot bubble, move from one task to the next, remember to smile and nod at people as they came in and out. It was boring, but boring was so, so much better than the alternative.

Halfway through the afternoon, her class's representative entered the room, and she was momentarily jerked out of the bubble. For some reason, she'd always got the impression that Sosuke Mori used a laundry service outside the school.

"Good afternoon, Mori-kun," she asked. "How are you?"

"I am fine, thank you. Is there a washing machine free?"

"15, 16, 19 and 24 are free at the moment." Keiko answered, with only a brief glimpse at the screen above where she was hand-washing some delicates.

"Impressive, that you can remember that. I take it you are here as part of your Talent Development."

"I am indeed. Do you need help?"

"No, thank you. I am capable of dealing with my own laundry…as you would hope most people would be at this age."

Keiko made a non-committal sound at that.

"Well, things can go wrong sometimes, and if someone isn't an expert, who am I to deny them? I'm here to help after all."

Sosuke nodded absently at this, and made to head to one of the washing machines with his laundry basket, when something made him pause, and he turned to look at Keiko.

"I have been meaning to ask, Usui-san, but have you joined up to the Talent Exchange Plan?"

"I have not."

"There is still time, you have the weekend."

"I know, but all the same I've decided not to."

"That surprises me, you have always been a helpful girl, after all." Sosuke said mildly, his gaze piercing from behind his glasses. Keiko wasn't sure what to say that, but Sosuke continued.

"In any case, it would be a useful opportunity for you to get some help with all this. Doing the laundry for nearly 108 students in an afternoon is no easy feat, SHSL or otherwise."

 _Well, if it's all left to me, an afternoon won't even be enough, the rate I am going…._ Keiko forced a smile on her face, quick as she could.

"I'll manage, you don't need to worry about me! Anyway, are you sure you don't need assistance?"

"I am sure."

"Alright, then. Let me know if you do!"

Thankfully, Sosuke then left her be, putting his washing into washing machine 24, scanning his Electro-ID against the reader to confirm that it was his clothes in it, and then swiftly leaving. Keiko let out a sigh, and then allowed the autopilot bubble to envelope her again. She continued like that for a good while longer as Sosuke and others came and went, and as more loads of washing came in and out.

And then, a vision walked through the door.

Well, she was just a girl, another student. Pretty, flawlessly so, all big smile and copper curls and lightly tanned litheness. She was dressed in her own clothes-leggings of some kind and a Korean-flag-emblazoned crop-top, paired with a denim jacket over the top. The girl- _the vision_ \- dragged an absolutely humungous sports bag stuffed to bursting with what Keiko surmised were martial-arts garments. But Keiko's breath had blown away, and it took a moment to get it back.

"Phew!" the girl said, wiping some sweat from across her brow. She took a moment to get her breath back, then spotted Keiko.

"Oh! Hello. Are you…"

"I'm here to help with the laundry-I'm the SHSL Launderer, you see."

"All by yourself?"

Keiko had been about to rattle off information, but she stopped dead as she realised what the girl had said.

"I….well, yes."

"But that does not seem fair. Have you just had all the washing dumped on you?"

Keiko opened her mouth, shut it again, then shrugged.

"That's out of order. I get that as an SHSL Launderer you have a particular expertise that might be useful to some-I've never quite managed to tackle bloodstains, incidentally-but that's just dumping responsibility for your own life on someone else."

"It's not that bad…" Keiko tried to deny dishonestly. "It is what my talent entails."

"Even so."

The girl and Keiko stared at each other for moment, and Keiko could feel herself blushing furiously. Eventually, the girl shook her head, and sighed.

"How logn are you here for?"

"The rest of the afternoon, but some of the evening."

"Right, I'll help you. My session is finished anyway, hence that lot." The girl pointed at the bag she'd dragged in.

"Oh, no, no…"

"I'm helping. I'll get mine sorted first, then I'll text my friends so they won't wonder where I disappeared to, but then I will help."

The girl said this firmly, and even though she smiled as she said this ( _such a lovely smile,_ Keiko thought, noticing how her teeth were perfect and pearly-looking, how all her features were so perfectly even), her tone brooked no argument. Keiko sighed. _I can't say no to that, can I?_

"Only if you are absolutely sure."

"I am."

"Alright then…we should probably tell each other our names, if we're going to be working together though." Keiko realised. "I'm Keiko Usui, and you already know my talent. I use she/her pronouns. What about you?"

The last inquiry was more politeness than anything-she could not imagine this wonderful creature kneeling before her and pulling clothes out of a sports bag to be anything _other_ than female.

"I'm Minah Kang, also using she/her pronouns. What year are you in?" she asked as she went over to one of the other free washing machines and set it up.

"Third. You?"

"Second, class 99A. It's good to meet you. Let's get this started."

Keiko nodded, and waited for Minah to finish with her own clothes and to send the few messages she needed to. Then, the two of them set out to deal with the rest of the laundry. Admittedly, since Keiko was the expert for better or for worse, she was doing the lions' share, but Minah more than pulled her weight, _and_ she was the one who remembered that they had to eat (much to Keiko's slight embarrassment), and made Keiko head off to the canteen to get them food. They chatted a little here and there in between the tasks, though it was little more than small talk. But everything got done, and Keiko no longer had to exist in a bubble.

"Thank you for all that, really." Keiko said as they got ready to leave.

"It's no problem, really." Minah insisted. "I won't be able to help every week, depending on my schedule, but I'll come as often as I can."

"There's really no need, really." Keiko laughed, switching off the lights and closing the door. "Just the fact you took the time today really means a lot."

"Not a problem at all. I'll see you around."

Minah left, and Keiko went the other way. But just for a moment, she turned to catch one final glimpse of Minah walking away, thinking: _I'd do anything for you now. Anything._

* * *

 **Characters introduced this chapter:**

 **Shinobuko 'Shino' Hisakawa, Class 1A (created by: SanityRequiem)**


	9. Connections

Azuki nearly jumped out of his skin when his Electro-ID rattled.

"And remind me, why did I set it to vibrate like it's my freaking phone?" he muttered irritably to himself, putting down his actual phone on the grass next to him so he could pick up the ID and look at it.

 _One new message,_ the screen flashed. Azuki glared at the screen, but tapped to bring the message up all the same, already steeling himself for who it could be, and stiffening when once again it was from that same person who had been messaging him all week. Though the breeze around him was gentle, he shivered slightly as he tapped to read it.

He didn't get messaged much these days, usually by their class representative about class events, but any other messages were usually from fans in the school, wanting an autograph or a chance to appear with him in a video, or something. But he hadn't had any of those in ages, and he'd been getting used to the relative peace that brought him when bam, all of a sudden, the name Mizuki Teranaga kept appearing in his inbox. She-for from the name, Azuki assumed that the person in question was a she-didn't seem like the typical hysterical fan. All her messages had a calm, measured tone to them, and they only seemed to refer to his volunteering and the other 'serious' things he did. This message was no different:

 _Dear Sawada-san,_

 _I understand that you have many other commitments as Fumiyo Doux, but I would like to arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible, at your convenience. It would be a good opportunity for us to combine our skill sets to really make a difference to people. As I have mentioned before, it is clear that we have similar priorities._

 _I look forward to hearing from you soon,_

 _Mizuki Teranaga._

Certainly not the typical thing his fans liked to come out with. There wasn't an emoji or a run-on sentence in sight. What this girl had in common with his other fans was sheer persistence. She'd been messaging him all week, and he knew that she'd even tried to seek him out in person at least once, as during one of his lessons the girl he sat in front made a throwaway comment to that effect. It was even possible there had been others that nobody had thought to mention. _At least she never found me…._ Azuki thought, looking up at the leaves of the trees that kept this hiding place of his so, well, hidden. _What would I have done, if she'd found me?_

 _Made a scene, probably._ Worse had happened with fans, and he'd managed, hadn't he? _But I don't want it to happen again…._ staring down at the message on his ID again, he made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. He could hardly scream at a message to go away and leave him alone, could he? Swearing in French for a moment, he pondered on what to do…

…his stomach rumbled loudly, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. _Ah, yes, food would be a good idea, wouldn't it?_ He picked up his sunglasses and put them on his face, then flicked his hood back up. He quite fancied going to the pizza restaurant down the road, and if he was quick about it, he could get a booth in the back and hide from the world. That, and maybe pretend that Mizuki Teranaga wasn't a problem.

 _Yeah,_ he thought, _I'll do that._

But before he left the graveyard, he made sure to turn his Electro-ID onto silent.

 **…**

For the first time in Sosuke's time at Hope's Peak, the Student Council meeting was being held in the Staff Conference room, instead of their usual room. But then again, this was no ordinary meeting-no, it was the meeting in which they were helping to make the pairings for the Talent Exchange Plan.

"So," Principal Naegi (his and Hinata's presence were things that Sosuke had encountered in past meetings, but only a handful of times. "I imagine this is pretty straightforward, but essentially you'll need to work together to crosscheck the forms to help match up a Main Course student with a Reserve Course student, or more. No more than three Reserve Course students to a Main Course though, mind you. Those of you working on the ID-submitted forms will probably have an easier time of it by searching phrases, but please do confer with your paper-searching colleagues too. Remember, we want the very best matches. When you've got one, submit it up on the board there, and message alerts will be sent through."

"What about those for ourselves?" Mizuki wanted to know.

"Well, of course, you are in a luckier position in that you have a say….." Naegi said, looking towards Principal Hinata, who nodded and took that as his cue to take over.

"But you'd best cross-check with another member just to get a different perspective on whether you will be compatible with that student. This is as much for them as it is for you."

Sosuke wondered about that, but he supposed that if the perception was there then that'd be enough. Something akin to the placebo effect, except that they would learn something regardless of how it turned out.

"Exactly, exactly." Naegi said. "So…any questions?"

"No, that's fine." The Student Council President said for them all.

Sosuke nodded in support, while subtly looking around. Most of the others seemed fairly happy, but Riko was surly looking as she'd taken to being, and Mizuki looked deeply thoughtful. Even so, once the Principals reminded them to call if assistance was needed and then left, Riko and Mizuki got straight to it in the same way that everyone did.

"Hey, anyone got a form from Sawada-kun?" Ichihara called out at one point.

"I do not think so…" Sosuke said, double-checking.

"No, neither do I." Mizuki said.

The others checked, and the resounding answer of no came in. Ichihara sighed and ran a hand through his already-messy hair.

"Well, that's at least three girls I'm gonna have to disappoint, aren't I?"

"Keep them aside for now, "The Student Council President suggested. "We might find something suitable for them elsewhere. Are these paper or ID forms?"

"ID."

"Alright, put a flag on them and we'll sort it out later." The Student Council President said. "Izumi-san, will you do the honours?"

"Why me? It's hardly the end of the world." She huffed from where she was sitting with her Electro-ID connected to a laptop.

But in the same breath, she sighed and gave in.

"Well, I'll see what I can do."

"Izumi-san." Sosuke warned.

"What?" she groused without looking up. "I said I'd try, didn't I?"

"You need to have a better attitude, Izumi-san," Sosuke said. "You're not giving a good impression to the school, and it is especially important this year."

Riko looked up and gave Sosuke a dark glare, and he stared evenly at her. Apart from the expression and the tired eyes, she did at least look presentable, but apart from that. _A Student Council Deputy President can't go around acting like that, she should know better._

"Impressions are all that matter, are they?" Riko said bitingy.

"Nobody said anything about tha-"

"Woah, woah, guys!" Ichihara exclaimed. "Let's not get too heated up, yeah?"

"It's certainly going nowhere fast." Anya commented idly. "Anyway, we've got these stacks of forms to do and all."

Now that was a point that Sosuke had to concede, so he nodded, and pointedly turned towards a computer. Riko huffed, but said no more, and soon everyone got to work again.

They continued like that for a while, swapping ideas and gradually whittling down their list. Sosuke soon found someone to be paired with-a girl in the third year, who had submitted a paper form on Saturday with neat careful handwriting about 'broadening horizons' and 'transferable skills'. The answers were sensible yet fairly generic and unrevealing, but all the same he built up an image of a quiet, practical girl who would probably jump at the chance to learn the skills required for a respectable career. _Yes, Mihoko Sakurai will be someone I can work with._ Sosuke was fairly sure of his judgement in this, but all the same he made sure to show Ichihara and Anya, both of whom seemed satisfied there wasn't anyone else better that Mihoko Sakurai could be paired with, and as he wanted only the one, he went straight ahead and submitted the pairing through the system via the board.

Time went by, and more pairs and groupings were made, the piles of paper and the queues on the ID systems rapidly dwindling, when Sosuke came across a Reserve Course Student's application that intrigued him. In much the same manner as Mihoko, most of the answers were broad but still fairly sensible (though there seemed to be a definite inclination towards 'change' and 'making a difference'), but the answer to the question about 'other information' threw him off:

 _If at all possible, I would like to be paired with Mizuki Teranaga._

Sosuke stared at it for a good, long moment, weighing up the possibilities. Then, he looked up.

"Teranaga-san, can you come over here a moment please?"

Teranaga looked up, and raised an eyebrow, but got up and walked over to Sosuke's seat.

"What is it?" she asked.

Sosuke handed her the form, and watched as she read it carefully. He noticed she mouthed some of the words, and though she scanned it quickly, her eyes kept going back to certain words, lingering on others.

"Do you know this student?" Sosuke asked. "A former classmate perhaps?"

"Mhm…." Mizuki murmured, not really answering anything as she regarded the form for a few moments longer. Then, she looked up.

"That's fine. I'll take him on. But I'll hold onto this-I'm thinking of taking a couple more on too."

 _I see…_ Sosuke thought as he nodded and waved her away. _I see. Clearly that form, or the person who wrote it, means something to you. But what?_ He supposed that Mizuki would be approaching the Talent Exchange Plan from a somewhat different perspective, but he couldn't quite work out how that'd play out, and that intrigued him.

Enough so that throughout the rest of the time it took to get all the groupings done, he kept studying her, looking for a glimpse of that answer.

 **…**

Technically, students weren't allowed on the school roof of any of the buildings, but a little detail like that had never stopped Sho from going up there, and this evening was no different, as he leaned against the barrier of the Main Building's ceiling, feeling like he was a deity as he stared down at the rest of Hope's Peak spread out beneath him, the wind buffeting him gently and messing up his hair and clothes.

 _Still, it's not like anyone's ever told me off, is it? So it can't be that big of a deal…_ Sho sighed, and decided to sit down, back against the barrier, and he pulled his ID out of his jacket pocket to check it. No notifications flashed up, and he sighed. _How long are they going to take?!_ He was bored out of his skull waiting to see who he'd get. He'd been anticipating it all day, the announcement of who would be with who in the Talent Exchange Plan. He wouldn't recognise the names, sure, but that was the point. New faces, new places, new experiences. The school had promised the Centenary to be the most exciting thing that had happened in the school, but this was the first aspect of it that had set his heart racing. Sure, the pomp and circumstance of the entrance ceremony had been pretty cool, and the little gold badges were neat, but this. This was…something else.

 _I wonder,_ he thought idly, _if the Reserve Course students are also not allowed to go on their roof. Or rather, if the teachers turn a blind eye._ There was no reason to think any different, but still. He was at least part aware of some of the tension, best exemplified whenever he waved to a random kid in a black uniform on the ground and one of his buddies would hiss 'dude, why would you say hi to a _Reserve Course_ student?' _Why wouldn't I say hi? I just want to be known. I just want the excitement._

After staring at the screen for a moment longer and willing something to appear, he sighed, and decided to unlock it. Idly searching, he eventually found the app for the classic game Fruit Ninja, and started to play it, smashing virtual fruit against a virtual wall using a virtual sword with funky effects, pausing the game to chop and change said effects every so often until the sword was flashing and bleeping at him in a cacophonous rainbow. It was mildly amusing, but still, he was bored.

 _I need something to happen. I want something to happen._ What that something was, he wasn't even sure anymore, but he needed it. Yearned for it. And so he remained on the roof, waiting, and waiting, while the boredom mounted.

And then finally, finally, the screen flashed.

 _One new message._

 **…**

The group chat he had on his phone with various Reserve Course students from across the year was exploding with messages as people eagerly chatted about who they had been paired with. He scrolled through, reading some parts of the chat properly but only skimming others until he got to the more recent messages:

 _Shino Hisakawa: I've been paired up with the SHSL Pilot-maybe I'll get to learn how to fly a plane so I can leave a 'fuck you Hope's Peak' message in the sky._

 _Shizuo Hirata: looooool_

 _Emiko Shishikane: Oh, you have that dude too? So do I!_

 _Shino Hisakawa: Niiiiiccce._

 _Kaneda Kagane: I got paired with Minah Kang! I'm so excited!_

 _Amane Kita: Oh, what, THE Minah Kang?!_

 _Shizuo Hirata: You think there's another Minah Kang around somewhere?Of course he's talking about THE Minah Kang looool._

 _Emiko Shishikane: You're lucky though, sempai, she's hot ;)_

 _Manaka Takigawa: Did anyone get Fumi-kun? I was hoping to but I didn't *sniff*_

 _Shino Hisakawa: Poor you *pats*_

 _Airi Katsuki: *huggles* I feel your pain my friend_

 _Kumori Kurogane: That's bad luck, Takigawa-sama. Who did you get instead?_

 _Manaka Takigawa: I got Kang-san as well like Kaneda-sempai, which is cool too, but I was really hoping for Fumi-kun, you know?_

 _Kumori Kurogane: I talked to some people who aren't in this group, and it doesn't seem like anyone got him, so I would not feel too disappointed. At least you got someone who is known to be good._

 _Manaka Takigawa: true, true._

 _Shizuo Hirata: Indeed looool_

 _Manaka Takigawa: So who did you get, Kurogane-kun?_

 _Kumori Kurogane: Yuna Yorokobi, the SHSL Sexologist._

 _Amane Kita: Sexologist?! What?!_

 _Airi Katsuki: *spits out tea*_

 _Shizuo Hirata: loool_

 _Shino Hisakawa: Kurogane, what on earth did you put in your form to get that?!_

 _Kumori Kurogane: I don't know who she is but it's unfair to judge….._

 _Emiko Shishikane: Hah! If you pick up any bedroom tips tell me first sempai, okay?_

 _Manaka Takigawa: Oh my god *hides in embarrassment*_

Mokomichi chuckled and rolled his eyes reading through, and then typed something himself and sent it.

 _Mokomichi Yamashita: So, seems like most of us are happy with who we have?_

 _Shino Hisakawa: I guess? IDK._

 _Kumori Kurogane: Oh, hello Yamashita-san. Have you found out who you're with yet?_

 _Shino Hisakawa: Wait, what, Mr I-don't-talk-to-SHSLs signed up to this?_

 _Kaneda Kagane: He did, isn't that great?!_

 _Mokomichi Yamashita:…_

 _Emiko Shishikane: Go on then, spill, who?_

 _Airi Katsuki: Yeah, who did you get, Yamashita-kun?_

About ten other people quickly chimed in also demanding an answer, with Kumori and Kaneda appealing to them to not swamp him, but also at the same time still clearly being curious. Not that Mokomichi minded. Even just thinking of it made him smile, though some of the reasons behind his jubilation were proving oddly hard to pin down. So, he quickly typed out the answer.

 _Mokomichi Yamashita: Mizuki Teranaga._

* * *

 **Yep, the names of the final two cast members have been mentioned here, but not quite introduced yet. Don't worry, they will be, soonish! But anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, please leave feedback if you can.  
**


	10. Like An Earthquake

**Here we are, the Christmas update! Enjoy, and have a great Christmas, or if you don't celebrate it, I hope you are enjoying this holiday time :)**

* * *

Hana felt like an open book, yet as she walked nobody even gave her a glance. At least, not any more than out of the ordinary for a Reserve Course student in Main Course territory. But even that was lesser than before, and of course it was-today was the day most of the Talent Exchange Participants were meeting for the first time.

Including her.

But for her, it was more than that. It was the day she was meeting the person she currently hated more than any other. _Mizuki Teranaga._ The name had hung over her like a curse, and though there was a part of her that knew that really, it was her father to blame, and even the school itself, all her feelings had gone towards that one name. _Mizuki Teranaga, Mizuki Teranaga, Mizuki Teranaga._ She wasn't even in the creative or performing arts-was the universe conspiring against her or something?

Hana didn't know the answer to that, but it definitely felt like it to her, and as she kept walking, looking for the central courtyard with its pretty waterfall, what she did know was that she wasn't sure she'd be able to constrain said hate once she'd laid eyes on this girl. It was all she could think about, such that when she passed the Izuru Kamukura statue and the remaining blocks for the ones that were soon to be made, she didn't even feel the slight swell of excitement that came from remembering that she was going to be involved with those. _I hate you, Mizuki Teranaga, I hate you._

There were a small number of people in various spots of the central courtyard when she arrived, including a few sitting around the fountain. Straight in front of her from the direction in which she approached were three giggling Main Course girls, so she went straight past them and looked around at the benches. But when she thought to look at the other side of the fountain, her heart stopped.

Because the red haired girl was there, with the blond haired boy.

 _Am I dreaming?_ Hana was rooted to the spot as she stared, at the way they sat, facing each other, heads bowed slightly, murmured conversation reaching her ears in waves of soft, indistinct sound. For a moment, it was like she was back there, watching from a distance with her sketchbook as they stood beneath the willow tree. _I…._

And then, she turned to look at her. Hana startled, but was then frozen once again as she blinked and blushed, aware that she was being too obvious in her staring. Hurriedly, she scrambled to think of something vaguely normal to say, but the girl just looked at her quizzically.

"Are you alright?"

"I…yeah, I just…" Hana gabbled helplessly before trailing off.

Now the boy looked at her, and her embarrassment doubled. _Oh, if only the earth would swallow me up! What was I doing, staring so ope-_

"Are you Hana Otsuki?"

Hana's thoughts screeched to a halt, and she gawped at the blond haired boy before remembering her manners.

"I am…why?"

 _And how do you know my name?_

"Oh, excellent." The red haired girl said. "It's good to meet you, Otsuki-san…"

The girl got up and held out her hand, and Hana knew she should shake it, but she could only look at it dumbly as the rest of the red haired girl's words reverberated in her mind.

"…I'm Mizuki Teranaga."

A moment passed, and then another.

"Are you alright?" the red haired girl- _no, this is Mizuki Teranaga_ \- asked warily as she withdrew her hand.

"You're Mizuki Teranaga…?" Hana asked in a strained whisper. "You're… Mizuki Teranaga?"

"Yes…." The red haired girl _-Mizuki-_ said warily. "Why."

Hana opened her mouth, even as she knew it was hopelessly stupid to try and explain what she'd felt that day, what she felt about Mizuki Teranaga, even more hopelessly stupid to have been in this situation in the first place. _I don't know what to do…what do I do?_ She closed her mouth again, bit her lip for a moment, tried to get her racing heart and mind under control, then opened her mouth again-

-and promptly burst into tears.

 **…**

Mizuki had not been expecting there to be tears, and so she was thrown off for a moment.

"Is something the matter?" she managed to ask after a moment of simply staring at the shorter girl.

She was ignored, but to be fair, the girl-Hana- seemed to be trying to get herself together, taking deep breaths and roughly wiping at her light blue eyes with the back of her hands, stiffening her posture slightly. Mokomichi silently held out a tissue, which Hana accepted without acknowledgement, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose delicately. Eventually, she seemed to calm down, and though she did not acknowledge her crying in any way, there was something faintly defiant in the cool stare she gave them both.

"We seem to have got off on the wrong foot, somehow," Mizuki soldiered on. "I know we've exchanged names, but let me introduce you to the other Reserve Course student I'm working with-Mokomichi Yamashita, of class 3C. Have you two met?"

"It's possible, but I don't think so. What're your pronouns, Otsuki-chan?"

"Feminine," Otsuki answered, calmly enough. "And yours?"

"I'm using he/him, Teranaga's using her/she like you."

"Yes, that's right." Mizuki nodded. "Now, do you want to go somewhere else to talk, or are you alright here?"

Hana seemed to bristle at that, crossing her arms-which had gradually been relaxing until that point-back tightly again. She bit her lip, and took a breath.

"I'm fine here, thank you." She responded, staring at them both a moment before going to sit next to Mokomichi.

 _She's distancing herself from me. But why?_

"Alright. Well, I do apologise that you're paired with me, I do understand that you were hoping for someone more involved with something creative, but unfortunately that wasn't possible-"

"Teranaga here's on the Student Council," Mokomichi chose this moment to interject. "She had a certain amount of involvement in the pairing process."

"Which I tried to be fair about doing," Mizuki reminded him with a slight glare. "Though you clearly benefited."

"True that." Mokomichi said simply.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Mizuki returned to Hana, who now had something of the deer-in-the-headlights look about her. "Even if you are not involved in a drama or art project as such now, I do have some plans of what we would like to do together, and I do think creativity will be a valuable part of that process."

Hana simply gazed at her, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"It might help if you told us what those plans were, you know?" Mokomichi said lightly.

"I am aware, Yamashita-kun." Mizuki told him, somewhat frostily. "Besides, you know where I stand already."

"Supposedly." Mokomichi shrugged, though he sounded pretty certain.

Mizuki bit back even more irritation, and turned to Hana.

"I've been attempting to improve the conditions of the Reserve Course for a while now through my philanthropy, but now that I am back as a student again, I'm hoping I'll be able to help in more direct ways, too. Changing attitudes, and other such things."

"What makes you think it won't work?"

Mizuki simply gaped at Hana for a moment, having not expected her to speak at all. She even had to think for a moment to be sure it had actually happened.

"How do you know, if we don't try?"

Something flashed in Hana's eyes, but she simply lowered them demurely and said nothing, angling herself away from Mizuki.

"I'm guessing you're thinking nobody in the main course could possibly actually care, right?"

Mokomichi piped up suddenly, before Mizuki could think of what to say and do next.

Hana looked at him curiously.

"I guess that because honestly, I don't think you're completely wrong. There aren't many who care, really. And even Teranaga here, who was one of us now…well, she left us, and look where she is now. But the fact we're sitting here now has to mean something, I reckon. And aren't you curious too-about the idea that we could actually do something?"

"Nobody would listen to us though," Hana answered. "We're 'talentless', after all. "

"But if you could try?" Mokomichi persisted.

Sensing a softening in Hana, or at least some kind of change, Mizuki jumped in as well:

"You don't believe that about yourself though, do you?"

Hana looked at Mokomichi carefully, then over at Mizuki. Her frown became deeper, but then she tilted her head slightly and considered before she nodded.

"I don't. And I am."

"So, are you willing to join me?" Mizuki asked.

Hana gave a heavy sigh, and then nodded silently.

"Yamashita-kun?"

"Yes, of course."

Mokomichi gave Mizuki a _look_ as he answered, its heaviness made even more so by the breezy lightness of his voice. For a single moment, Mizuki thought she'd felt the companionship that had crept up on her and then disappeared so easily that day in the graveyard, but when she tried to grab at it, it slipped away yet again as Mokomichi broke eye-contact suddenly.

"So, what have you been doing, Teranaga-san?" Hana asked. "So far, that is?"

"Well, I've provided funds for scholarships so that students' can come here on reduced or no fees at all, and I've arranged money for some renovations…"

Mizuki talked through the things she had done, and had planned. She even mentioned the graveyard, though she was cautious as she did so, considering that there were others around them. But as much she didn't want things in that regard to blow up just yet, she felt an odd sense of satisfaction in being defiant in this way. Even just one more student knowing about the existence of this 'demoralising' place, was enough to make the shaky ideal tremble even more. And the more it trembled, the easier change would be.

Eventually, after explaining everything and answering the various questions that Mokomichi and Hana threw at her (more from the former than the latter) she got to the end, and took a breath.

"Well, I think that's enough ground covered for today, all things considered. I think the next meeting should be somewhere more private, so we can talk through actual strategies and steps to take."

"What, like your house?" Mokomichi asked, somewhat deadpan.

He was teasing, but she didn't know what exactly he was poking fun of this time, so she made to reprimand him, when she paused and thought. _That would actually work really well…_

"Yes, actually. We can have dinner as well. How does tomorrow after school work for you all?"

"Fine by me."

"I…."

"What is it, Otsuki-san?" Mizuki asked.

Hana shifted uncomfortably, but answered.

"I have a meeting then. I'm on the team designing the statues."

"You are? That's cool." Mokomichi said.

"When is that?" Mizuki wanted to know. "Is it after school?"

"2pm-4pm," Hana said cautiously. "We've been given permission to miss the final lesson for it."

"Alright, so…alright, how about this? I'll give you my address and number, then we'll figure out something."

Hana nodded slowly at this, and took out her phone. Mokomichi followed suit, and Mizuki told them the details.

"I live near to you." Hana said as she tapped it in, before looking up at Mizuki wide-eyed.

"Would you be able to come straight from here to mine, then, if we did have a meeting for tomorrow? Unless you prefer to stop off at home first?"

"….I could probably get to your house in 30 minutes, and it's the same from here to home as well." Hana said after a long moment of simply staring back down at her phone.

"Alright, so, evening would be better than straight after school. How about, let's say, 7pm?"

"It should do…"

"Yamashita-kun?"

"It's all the same to me."

"Alright then," Mizuki decided. "Tomorrow at 7pm, we'll have dinner at my house and then we'll get the ball rolling."

 **…**

"Alright," Minah said as she dusted herself off, holding her hand out to Kaneda to help him up. "I think we'll call it a day. Let's get everything away, and then get changed. "

"Gotcha, Kang-sensei!" Kaneda laughed, grabbing onto her hand as she pulled him up.

"Sure thing!"

Her other two students-two second years, a girl called Manaka Takigawa and a boy called Isamu Asai-also helped each other up before going over to her. Kaneda beamed at them, at first seemingly not noticing that he'd held onto Minah's hand even after he was up, but suddenly letting go to rush over fling his arms around their shoulders.

"You did good work today, Takigawa-kouhai, Isamu-kouhai."

"Ah, come off it, Kaneda-sempai." Manaka said, embarrassed.

But Kaneda was undeterred and held them both in a headlock for a moment longer before letting them go-ruffling Isamu's spiky red hair in the process-then doing an odd little twirl before bending by the corner of a mat and picking it up. Minah and the others followed suit, and kept going, and before they knew it they had put everything away, and Kaneda pulled out a sheet of planet stickers he'd somehow managed to hide in his aikido garments, and happily handed them out to each of them. While Isamu declined him (receiving nothing more than a cheery 'Oh, you don't like stickers? Too bad' in response) and Manaka called him weird, Minah accepted hers, though more out of baffled politeness than anything. It had been clear from the moment the tall, athletic boy had walked through the door that he was a somewhat colourful character, but he seemed nice enough. Friendly and happy, particularly with his lowerclassmen. Though she had to admit, she felt a kinship with him from knowing he was also interested in the martial arts, and had been training in one from a young age himself. Even if it wasn't hers, that was still something they had in common.

Of course, that didn't mean he was somehow more favourable than Manaka or Isamu. All three were her students under the Talent Exchange Plan, and as such all three would be treated fairly by her. _It's just nice to have that common thread,_ Minah reflected as she watched Kaneda ramble onto Isamu as they headed to the changing rooms. _Perhaps this'll end up being a two-way process, I could learn something from him too._

 _But even if it doesn't work quite like that,_ she decided as she and Manaka went into the girls' changing room and Kaneda and Isamu to the boys', _I'm glad I'm doing this anyway._

 **…**

"Oi, what you blushing for, Prude Princess?"

"I am _not_ blushing!" Yuna shot back stiffly as she went down the stairs.

"Suuuuuureeeee you aren't, Prudie. What happened, finally actually done it?"

"Of course not, how dare you make such an improper accusation!"

But all she received in response was a laugh as her classmate ran away and joined a group of his friends. She noticed a few other students give her an odd look, but she ignored it. She was well used to the odd looks, and she no longer cared. All she cared about was her research, and understanding sexuality better, and bringing romance alive.

 _Romance…._ To be fair to her mocking classmate, her cheeks did feel a little bit hot. All night her mind had been filled with thoughts of the frankly rather dashing Reserve Course student that she had been paired with for the Talent Exchange Plan. So formal and polite, and chivalrous, to boot. She'd been convinced that all the boys here, however friendly, were basically hormonal louts. But Kumori Kurogane was a true gentleman. And rather handsome, to boot. Sure, it was weird that a boy had such long hair, but somehow it made him seem manlier…

… _Yuna Yorokobi, you should know better than to have such scandalous thoughts!_ She scolded herself suddenly. _Remember who you are and what you stand for. Don't suddenly become like the sex-crazed horde._ But even as she scolded herself, she tried to reason with herself that it wasn't like that at all. She just admired him, that was all. Someone who was so utterly the opposite to the youth of these days. And perhaps the most importantly, he hadn't laughed at her when they'd introduced himself and she'd said her talent. There hadn't even been a glimmer of ridicule in his face or voice.

" _That sounds most fascinating, Yorokobi-sama. I cannot confess to having ever really thought of my own sexuality or romantic inclinations, I have yet to experience that side of life."_

" _Good. It is probably better to wait, or at least to take things slow in that department. You have to make sure you are experiencing a true, romantic connection with the person and not just craving them for their body."_

" _That makes sense to me." Kumori said._

 _Yuna narrowed her eyes at him at that._

" _Do you actually mean that?" she asked defensively._

" _Well, of course I do," Kumori replied, blinking. "Why wouldn't I?"_

" _The youth of these days do not tend to think like that, at least none of them here. They all laugh at me."_

 _Yuna gasped slightly when that confession spilled out of her mouth. She'd not meant to reveal that-surely he'd_ actually _laugh at her now-but all Kumori did was nod soberly._

" _Why would I laugh at something important to you?"_

Yuna sighed at the memory. Truly, Kumori was something special. But she could not allow herself to be carried away. For now, they just had to be a tutor and mentee, working together to create her matchmaking service-they were meeting tonight as it happened, after Kumori had had his tutoring session with the SHSL Scholar from the year above. She couldn't wait.

Managing to get the heat in her cheeks under control as she left the dorm building, she subconsciously took to skipping instead. The sun was shining softly, flowers were growing, and between that and her mood, she couldn't help but think that life was utterly wonderful. _Yes, this is going to be a wonderful year, and life in general is wonderful too. What more could I want?_

As she headed towards the Main Building, she noticed a crowd forming, which halted her pink sparkly thoughts about Kumori and the future.

"Good morning, Yorokobi-san."

"Oh! Good morning, Kang-san," she addressed Minah with some warmth. "Do you know what's happening?"

"I've just noticed this myself," Minah replied. "Shall we go see? We're both still early, if you're worried about that."

Yuna hadn't been at that moment, but it was something she certainly would have considered, so she was glad Minah had brought it up.

"I suppose I am curious…"

"Perhaps Sawada-san from the other class is filming…" Minah mused. "That would explain it."

Yuna simply sniffed at that. She hadn't ever talked to Sawada, but she'd heard girls in her class swooning over him in a wholly inappropriate way.

"Hey, whatcha all talking about?"

All of a sudden, Sho Nakajima was there, and Yuna jumped, giving a little shriek. Sho simply smiled, looking far too satisfied with himself. Yuna instantly edged away, so she was on Minah's other side.

"We're wondering what's going on." Minah said simply.

"Ohhh, same here, actually. You gonna take a look?"

"Yes, we are." Minah said. "What do you think is going on? Is it Sawada-san?"

"Nah, it's not. He was ahead of me, but he turned back," Sho said nonchantly, pointing a thumb back at the dorm building. "So nah. Besides, you hear any fangirls screaming?"

Yuna considered this, and realised he had a point. The noise and the crowds certainly didn't sound excited or hysterical, as such. In fact, they sounded…anything but. Yuna suddenly felt very small, and she wanted to turn back and go inside. But natural curiosity overtook her, and she continued to walk with Minah and Sho, who made polite small talk while she remained silent, and gradually they got closer to the heart of the crowd, where they could hear snippets of description of what was going on and what everyone was crowding around. Even before she laid eyes upon it herself, she had managed to build a good picture of what was happening, yet even so, the sight floored her.

For the stones that had been brought in to make the statues of the other principals had been hacked to pieces, which had all been strewn across the area of grass like the debris of an earthquake.

And on top of all that, lying there like a victim of the earthquake, lay the toppled statue of Izuru Kamukura, smashed to pieces.

* * *

 **Since it is the school holidays, I will update once or twice more in the next two weeks, but we shall see how things turn out. I am going out with family friends on some days, and I have a essay, folder organisation, and lesson plans for next term to do. But it is the holidays, so fingers crossed.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, and please leave feedback if you can**


	11. Insinuations

"And how do you know that Reserve Course students were responsible, President Nomura? "

While the question itself surprised Sosuke, the fact that it came from Mizuki-who had stood up to ask it-did not. He propped his chin in his hand, and regarded her closely.

"Sit down, Teranaga-san, no need for that." Nomura said calmly.

"You didn't answer the question," Mizuki repeated, remaining standing. "How do you know for sure that it was Reserve Course students who were responsible? I was under the impression that, at the moment, we don't have any ideas who could have vandalised the statues."

"Well, who else could it be?" Anya piped up. "Reserve Course students are always complaining about how mean we all are to them-even you do, no offence."

"Do you think that if there weren't any problems, they'd be complaining?" Riko said derisively. "Besides, it's not as if it's perfect here, is it?"

"What's that meant to mean?" Taki asked.

"Step off your high horse a moment, perhaps then you'd see." Riko responded, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Izumi-san, this needs to stop." Sosuke ordered.

At this point, he was getting fairly sick of her. _It is like she's taken a complete personality change. I wish she would change it back._ Sosuke geared up for yet another rebuke, but his words were drowned out as the entire Student Council suddenly broke out into discussion about Riko's words. Eventually, Nomura rapped the desk heavily.

"Enough, everyone! We need to return to the issue at hand. Which is, what should we do about the Reserve Course students?"

"Hear, hear!" Taki said cheerfully. "They can't get away with it."

"Get away with _what_?" Mizuki asked.

"Uh, hello, the destruction of the statues?" Anya asked.

"Yeah, exactly!" Another Student Council member agreed eagerly "If we were getting the police involved, they'd be facing strict charges! So we can't let them get away with it."

"Indeed," Sosuke said. "So while we are not the police and should not presume to be, we have to think very carefully about how we manage this situati-"

"Why aren't we involving the police, if the damage is that bad?" Riko inquired, interrupting him.

"What do you mean, if? You _saw_ them, didn't you?" yet another student council member cried.

"I did."

"Then! What's your issue?"

"Everyone, enough!"

Everyone jumped and fell silent. Even Sosuke was slightly shaken. It was not often that Michiaki Nomura shouted, so when it did happen…

As it was, he looked around at all of them with a calm stare-when he met Sosuke's eyes, he nodded in a show of solidarity-before addressing them all.

"We all know full well why we are not involving the police, particularly at this time. In any case, this is an isolated incident, and we as the Student Council of a very distinguished set of students should be more than capable of solving this problem ourselves."

"Hear, hear." Someone else said.

"So, what are _we_ going to do?" Taki asked.

"Well, I suggest that we should withdraw the privilege of the Reserve Course students' participation in the design and construction of the new statues." Sosuke started, relieved that at last the conversation was getting back on track.

"The statue design is on hold anyway, that's not much of a punishment." Anya pointed out.

Sosuke nodded-he had to agree with that, it was a valid point.

"Or you could just let the staff do their job?" Riko spat. "You know, by calling the police and cooperating with them?"

"I have to agree," Mizuki said, standing up again. "Even while I can understand that we hold responsibility for the welfare of the school, this is far beyond any Student Council's remit. And in any case, I am more disturbed by the fact we are condemning an entire student body as guilty before proven innocent."

"Tell me, what Main Course student would do something so disrespectful towards our school?" Nomura asked.

Mizuki stared at him, the smile on her face replaced for a split second with bafflement, but it was Riko who spoke up, looking more despicable than ever.

"You realise we're not a hive mind, right? Some of us actually think for ourselves."

"Excuse me, what?" Anya looked enraged as she whipped around to glare at Riko.

Once again, Nomura tapped on the table.

"Enough! Izumi-san, is there something you want to tell us?"

Riko stared at all of them in turn, and if Sosuke had been a lesser being, he would have been frozen by the look in her eyes. All the same, he found himself thinking, _I would ask the same myself,_ and finding himself surprised by that fact.

"Nothing that you would ever listen to." Was all she said, before retreating into herself, quite literally as she wrapped her arms around herself and hunched over.

"If we're going to do anything," Mizuki took the opportunity to say. "Then we should first work out how we're going to discover who was responsible for the incident and move from there. There's no use in simply assuming a whole group of people guilty with no proof beyond prejudices!"

"Oi, oi…."

The room descended into chaos again, and even Nomura's commands could not stop it. Sosuke narrowed his eyes at Mizuki and Riko, both of them seeming to be eyes in the centre of the storm, even if it was only the latter who no longer participated.

He had suspected that Riko would be a thorn in their side in these proceedings considering her sudden change in behaviour this year so far, but Mizuki…he had not expected Mizuki to be quite so uncooperative. _I wonder, could they have…_

It was a completely ridiculous thought. But why else would they not want things to go ahead as they usually would in such a situation? Why else? _It is the only thing that makes sense, but Teranaga-san does have a point about rash accusations…_ _I suppose,_ Sosuke eventually thought as he continued to study them both closely, _I will just have to wait and see._

Yet all the same, Sosuke knew that he would not be taking his eye off of the two of them for quite a while now.

 **…**

Emiko did not feel particularly worried about what was going to happen next. After all, it was not as if anyone could trace her to being there. Besides, she may as well take some of the advantages of her family name while she was still seen to be connected to it, right? Nobody would ever even _dream_ of accusing a Shishikane of something like this-not if they wanted the full weight of privilege breathing down their necks _and blah blah blah, holy hell, how does this not get old to people?_ Emiko was bored just thinking the words.

"Yo, Shishikane!"

Emiko turned to see that her new friend Shino was grinning at her.

"Hello there, Shino." She greeted them mock-flirtingly, just because she could.

"What do you think they're going to do to us?" Shino asked, grinning straight back at her.

"Do? What can they do?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell Hisakawa-san!" one of the girls Shino had been talking to agreed. "Nobody even knows who did it!"

"We're Reserve Course students though, honey. You think the school really cares about the small detail of not having an actual culprit?" Shino asked condescendingly.

"Well, yeah, but…."

"Half the families here have an army of lawyers and PR people, right? We're untouchable." Emiko said, embellishing her claim with an eye-roll and a dramatic flick of her long pink hair.

"You might be, Shishikane-san," another girl said. "What about the rest of us who are slightly more ordinary than you."

Emiko silently preened for a moment at the implication she was extraordinary, then thought about this.

"Maybe I'll use my name for good, who knows?"

 _It'll certainly annoy Daddy Dearest if I do…_

"it's still worth waiting and seeing, right?" the first girl said.

"Isn't that exactly what we're all doing right now?" the second asked.

"Oh, speak of the devil!" Shino said airily, suddenly.

"What?"

Emiko and the other two girls both gawped at Shino, who smirked and simply leaned back in their chair, pointing to where their homeroom teacher had come back in.

"Right, right, pipe down! I hope you've all been studying like you should have been."

 _Yeah, right._ There were a few goody-goodies who had been studying diligently, but most of them had been chatting. Though curiously, none of them had taken the opportunity to break free. _Perhaps because we're all curious._ Even the dimmest of the class members couldn't fail to grasp just how unusual their situation was.

Once they had all indeed piped down as their teacher asked, she started to speak.

"Alright," she began. "I apologise for the disruption to your normal lessons, but I am sure you can understand why. In any case, we have met with Principal Hinata and now I can tell you what is going to happen. Not many of you are going to like this, but there is no real way around it, unfortunately. So, first things first, you are expected to have your Electro-ID on at all times during school hours, and whenever you are on the grounds, so your location can be tracked. "

A chorus of cries went up, and the teacher held up her hand and waited. Emiko noted she didn't look particularly happy, but it was hard to tell if it was because of the situation or them. She flicked a glance at Shino to see what they thought. Their expression was carefully blank, but when they noticed Emiko they smirked as if to say, _told you so,_ before becoming enigmatic once again as silence re-descended.

"I know some of you like to have your IDs off in class to reduce distractions, but unfortunately the school would like to know where you are at all times while you are here in order to help with the investigation. "

This earned a muttered 'bullshit', which Emiko had to agree with. The teacher raised an eyebrow, and continued.

"The next thing is that the statue project is, of course, halted. However, when it is reinstated, only Main Course students will be working on it."

"What?"

Emiko whipped around to stare at one of the girls she had just been talking to-the optimistic one. Her face had gone pale and her mouth was downturned and trembly. Emiko didn't know much about her, but remembered that she had been pretty excited at the opportunity, being a budding sculptor or something.

"I am sorry, it isn't fair, I know." The teacher apologised.

"Then why are you doing this, Satou-sensei?" a boy called out.

"It isn't me. If I had any say in the matter, I promise you that I would not have chosen these strategies. These are coming straight from the Principals."

Satou sighed, and Emiko looked over at Shino, who gave her an eye-roll. Emiko rolled her eyes in return. _This is ridiculous._

"The final thing pertains to the Talent Exchange Plan. Thankfully, that is not being scrapped completely. However, it has been stated that you are not allowed to go to the Main Course building unless it is for the purpose of the Talent Exchange Plan-and you are going to need proof of that, whether that is a message from your Main Course mentor or….well, the student themselves standing up for you. Otherwise, you're not allowed to go near the Main Course building at all."

This, once again, caused a flurry of aggrieved outbursts, and this time Satou did not even hold her hand up to halt them. She just waited, looking weary, waiting for everyone to let off steam and calm down.

"Hah, like this is gonna stop me!" Shino boasted.

"This isn't fair….I don't understand it." The formerly optimistic girl said. "Principal Hinata was one of us, right?"

"Yeah, but do you think that really means anything?" Shino asked. "He's authority now-everyone knows that authority only care about their power."

"Yes, but…"

"Hey, Shino, maybe we should get ourselves a 'meeting' with Nakajima-sempai," Emiko suggested, the idea coming to her.

Shino tilted their head curiously, and then realisation dawned, and a grin appeared.

"Yeah, we should. He's probably gonna want to know _all_ about this, right?"

"Right."

"Nice, I'll message him."

Shino whipped out their Electro-ID and started to rapidly message. Emiko smirked, thinking of Sho. _Yeah, he'd be very interested in all this, especially considering-_

"Hey, what are you guys on about?" the other girl asked them.

"Oh, nothing," Shino said airly. "Just this, that, and the other."

"Oh, _such_ a helpful response."

Eventually, the class quietened down, and Satou regarded them all.

"I understand how you all must feel about this, and while I am not able to do anything as such, if any of you need someone to vouch for your whereabouts-presuming you are not actually doing anything wrong-then I am willing to do that for you. And I will be making my position clear during future meetings, so. Hopefully they will find the actual culprit and this will all be over soon."

 _In your dreams, maybe._ Even Emiko knew that it was unlikely that things would get better from here on out. But, even so, she was not worried.

After all, there was no reason for her to be.

 **…**

The moment she spotted him, Mizuki took her opportunity and quickly strode across the crowded dining hall and dropped into the seat opposite him.

"Sawada-san?"

The boy flicked up an annoyed glance.

"Yes? What do you want?" he asked in a prickly manner.

"I'm Mizuki Teranaga," she said, deciding to get straight to the point. "Have you been reading my messages?"

Instantly, he stiffened, and straightened up, eyes widening behind his glasses for a moment before narrowing again, warily. His fingers tightened around his Electro-ID.

"What do you want?" he repeated, harshly. "Why are you pestering me?"

"I'd hardly call this pestering. I would just like a response, either way."

"Just because you're a fan doesn't mean you can have a piece of me!" he burst out in response, looking around him for an escape.

Mizuki was taken aback for a moment. _Woah, where did that come from,_ she wondered, even as she thought of the pictures of hysterical fans and their various blog posts she'd seen in her research. But she sighed, and leaned forward so that he couldn't ignore her.

"I do admire what you've done, but I am not a fan in the sense that I think you're thinking."

Azuki simply stared back at her, and with an irritated sigh, Mizuki gestured to the ID he was clinging to for dear life.

"Did you not think to do a search on me? You had my full name and my talent to hand, after all."

This earnt her a glower, but all the same Azuki did relax his posture slightly, and start typing into his ID. Mizuki leant back slightly into her seat to give him some space.

"How'd you write your first name?"

"With the kanji for 'auspicious' and 'radiance'."

"Right."

A moment or two passed, and then Azuki sighed, and put the tablet down on the table. Mizuki noticed that Azuki had found an article of her opening a new kindergarten for physically disabled children.

"Alrighty," Azuki muttered, brushing hair out of his eyes but not looking at her. "You are who you say you are. And?"

"You are interested in helping the Reserve Course, yes?"

"Yeah…."

"I am hoping to do the same, and I was wondering, would you join me? I already have two students I'm paired with via the TEP, but the more people I can collaborate with, the better. "

"Things are already getting worse though. What can a bunch of reduced fees do?"

"It's all the more important now, than ever, don't you think?"

Azuki stared at her as if she'd grown three heads.

"What can _I_ do to help, though?"

Mizuki opened her mouth to respond, then considered. _Maybe…._

"Are you free tonight?"

 **…**

"I'm home!"

Once again, there was no response. _Hopefully it'll remain that way_ , Hana thought. Carefully, she closed and locked the door behind her, and headed upstairs. On her way to her room, she took a detour to her father's office, getting as close as she could to listen for the sign of his presence without being close enough to attract his attention if he was there.

A moment of standing there tensely, with her hand cupped around her ear, suggested that he was not, much to her relief, and so she relaxed and moved on.

"Hi, Misty, I'm going out today," she told her cat, upon arriving in her room. "I'm meeting Mizuki Teranaga."

 _Though really, I'm not sure why,_ Hana thought as she started to look through her wardrobe, eyeing her clothes critically. _What is the point, anyway? She's supposed to be so great and…_ Hana sucked in a breath as she thought of the announcement of that morning. She had not quite realised just how much hope she'd hung onto the statue project.

 _And now, it's gone._

Hana paused a moment, took a breath. _Don't cry again. Don't,_ she told herself as she riffled through pairs of cropped jeans and her collection of tips, and considered them all. _This isn't just some social gathering though, is it? It's a meeting. But do I want to be trying too hard?_ Hana frowned, but her inclination to want to make a good impression-or, in this case, salvage what was left of her impression (how embarrassing it had been, having all her feelings just spill out of her like that in front of this person she was still pretty sure she hated)-won out on the end and she found a simple powder-blue short-sleeved dress and pulled it out. She laid it out on her bed-Misty obligingly jumping from her pillow to the floor when she did so-and went to wash her face and freshen up before returning to change. Once she'd put on her socks, her charm bracelet and her pink-and-silver scarf, she looked for her bag, and made sure it had the things it would need in it.

"Alright Misty," she said, going over to give the cat a hug. "I'd better go now. Look after my things for me, okay?"

Misty mewled in what Hana assumed was agreement, and she left the room.

"Oh," she realised aloud. "I should probably leave a note…"

Quickly, she went to the kitchen, found the notepad attached to the fridge, quickly scribbled something, and ripped the page of and left it on the kitchen table so it would be seen quite clearly. It simply read:

 _I have gone to see Mizuki Teranaga._

And despite how much she didn't want to do so, the note gave her some satisfaction _._

 **…**

Mokomichi walked home in a state of turmoil. The night's dinner and meeting had been quite interesting. Mizuki had given them a full breakdown of the different things she had been attempting to do in the school, and she'd even told them about the role the Student Council had had in the collective punishment of the Reserve Course for the statues. They'd also debated ideas such as collecting feedback from other students on how things could change, continuing to work on the graveyard, and making sure to mix more with each other's courses. They even had _Azuki Sawada_ of all people on board, who would be aiming to use his influence to try and change minds about the Reserve Course. It had been quite interesting, seeing what was essentially a real-life celebrity up close and as ordinary as could be. He somehow hadn't expected someone who was always so flamboyant and charismatic on screen to be…well, almost the opposite off screen. But he supposed it went to show, you could never judge.

 _But a Main Course student is still a Main Course student, no matter what they are like or what they do,_ he still believed. And it was there his turmoil lay. Especially where Mizuki Teranaga was concerned. _And it always seems to be her, doesn't it?_ It should have been easy to just ignore her, to pretend that she was no longer around. After all, what she had been before should not have made any difference, not when what she was now was the main thing about her. For almost all his time in this school, he'd been careful to keep his distance from the Main Course, and it had proved to be the best way to survive, especially when he thought about…

 _No. No._

He stopped abruptly, took a breath, tried to shove that memory back down. If there had been a re-do, he would have done everything exactly the same _that_ day. He had no regrets about what he had done (or rather, not done) _that_ day.

 _But it had not been right, and you know that. Teranaga wouldn't think it either, if she knew._

No, she wouldn't, Mokomichi decided as he resolutely stuck his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants and walked on. Not with her fierce dedication and persistence, not with how tired she looked. Nobody who was that fierce and tired could be accused of not caring about something. _And she clearly cares about the Reserve Course, still._

 _And me._

He recalled the scene from just a couple of hours ago, at her flat, when he'd been returning to the kitchen from the bathroom, only to spot the family shrine. On an impulse, he had taken an incense stick, lit it, and left it as an offering, taking a moment to pray as well. He hadn't even noticed Mizuki approach until he'd finished and turn around. And the look on her face…the silent thank-you it conveyed…

 _Why am I so glad of it? Why am I happy that that meant something to her?_ Whatever the reason, what he did know was that this meant he could no longer exist as he had before. Like it or not, he was involved.

 _All thanks to her. I should hate her for it, really. But of course, I don't._ He, again, thought of how she'd looked when she'd caught him sending a prayer to her parents. But he also thought of the colour of her eyes and the passion contained in them, of the day they'd cleared the graveyard together. He remembered _that_ day, the other _that_ day when he'd seen her world fall apart, imagined what it would be like when she'd found out what he had not _done_ on that day.

 _So what is it I feel instead?_

It was a strange ache, somewhere where his heart was. But he could not name it. And reaching his street, he decided not to try. Instead, he fished in his pocket for his keys, and clambered up the stairs to his floor. He unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Not bothering to call out-why would he when he lived alone?-he locked the door behind him again, pulled his red-and-black trainers off and left them where they fell, and went straight to his room. It was only as he was about to get into bed that he considered checking his phone.

Idly, he picked it up, and scrolled through his friends' messages and those of the chat-groups he was on. Particularly with the Reserve Course chat, there were simply too many messages to actually read, so he only scanned, smirking at some of the highlights and rolling his eyes at memes that jumped out at him due to sheer brightness. But then he got closer to the end of the chat, and he noticed something that made his (still, implausibly) aching heart freeze:

 _Shino Hisakawa: How about we start a riot? ;)_

* * *

 **Characters introduced this chapter:**

 **Emiko Shishikane, Class 1A (Belongs to: tobi-is-an-artist-too)**

 ** **Hey, whaddya know, first day of the year and first update of the year! I have a lot of anxieties about what this year will hold, especially when it comes to the various responsibilities of my course. But at the same time, there's a lot I am excited about, and that includes this story and being able to share it all with you. So here's to hoping that all in all, this year is a good one, right?  
****

 ** **Anyway, some things to note. I realised it was awkward for the Student Council President, of all side characters, to not have a name, so I gave him one-Michiaki Nomura. Not all side characters will have names given to them/revealed, but I will be giving names to some simply to make narration some side characters will need names as they'll have roles.****

 ** **And speaking of narration, the reason I decided not to have a scene dedicated to the actual dinner Mizuki had with Mokomichi, Hana and Azuki is basically because there'll be a lot of meet-up/discussion sort of scenes in this story by necessity, and I didn't want too many scenes that had a similar sort of tone in them. That, and sometimes it's more interesting to just portray the things surrounding a particular thing, than the thing itself, if that makes sense.****

 ** **But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave feedback if you can, and I'll see you next time!****


	12. All Hell, part 1

**After much blood, sweat, tears, sleeplessness and resisting the temptation to put 'my sanity' on the risk assessment of my lesson plans, I finally present to you the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Kumori surveyed the group of students assembled in front of him-classmates, year-mates, seniors and juniors alike. Some looked nervous, others excited, others yet again staring at him just as intently. A number of them were holding hand-made signs, much like the one he had made with the help of Riko, which was currently resting against the wall. _WE WANT FAIR TREATMENT,_ his one read, and many of the others had similar messages.

Because that was what they were there for, after all. To demand fair treatment, because the past week had been anything _but_ fair.

"Alright," he said. "So we're ready and know what we are to do next, I presume?"

"Just marching, right?" one of the students Kumori had assigned to watch the classroom door asked.

"Yes, that's right," he told them. "We begin when we exit the building-I'll lead the way. We go around, past the willow tree, and keep going in a straight line. Rows of three and four, ideally. We also need to make sure to go past the site of the statues."

"Former statues, more like!" someone called out.

Kumori shook his head slightly, but let it go. It was understandable to be nervous. Even he was nervous, and he was the one who had arranged this peaceful protest, essentially. The idea had not come from him, exactly-many in his class and beyond had been talking about the idea of fighting back. He had just seen an opportunity to do something. But organising the school festival, taking the lead on class projects and arranging surprise birthday parties and end-of-year celebrations, they were a completely different beast to that of a protest. Once he'd been shaken out of himself and started to become confident here, his approach to making things better had been these small things, working from the inside with what little they had, to make the best of things.

And it had worked. It had really worked, he was sure of it. But the centenary had changed everything, it seemed. _It's no longer enough, is it?_ At least, it didn't seem so. But he had a role in this school now, a niche he occupied, and he would have fallen short if he had not taken the opportunity to step up to the plate. Even though Riko had helped him come up with the plan, she thought it was ludicrous. But, what else could he do? Looking at the situation, it was either this, or nothing. And he knew which one he'd rather.

 _And so, here I am, for better or worse._

"What else do we need to remember?" he asked the assembled group.

"To be peaceful." A girl from his class offered, swinging her legs nervously as she sat on the desk.

"Yes, that's right, Minami-sama, well done," he praised, making her beam sunnily for a brief moment. "We must remember this is a peaceful protest, right, Hisakawa-san?"

"Oh my goodness, I was _joking_!" Shino said, rolling her eyes and elbowing the pink-haired girl (whose name shamefully evaded Kumori in that mo- _oh no, wait, it's Shishikane-sama_ ) next to her, earning a smile.

"Be that as it may," Kumori said carefully. "We do need to remember that this is not a riot."

He gave Shino-and, for that matter, Emiko-another careful look, just to be sure. Joke or no, it would be remiss of him to not be cautious about this. Then, he cleared his throat and continued on.

"If a member of staff or any other student not taking part in the protest approaches us, what do we do?"

"Stop and politely explain what we are doing?" a boy asked.

"Indeed, indeed. And it may be necessary to put our hands up or at least hold our hands out to demonstrate we come peacefully." Kumori said. "And we should be sure that though we are chanting, we do not shout, or yell, or throw things, or break away from the line."

"People can join us if they want to, on the way, right?"

"Yes, of course. The more people we have, the stronger our message. I am also aware that some of us who couldn't come here to start off will be joining us. Oh! And before I forget, our final destination will be the front entrance of the Main Course building. And…I believe that covers everything. Any questions?"

The students all looked at each other. A few whispers floated in the air, but disappeared quickly as they turned to him. _This is it,_ he thought. _The moment of truth. I wonder, is this what being a Ringleader will be like?_ Because this was like a performance, in a way, and he was the one leading the way, coordinating every last movement, making sure it would all go well.

 _If it fails, it's on me. But I can't think like that. I can't. It will be fine. I've thought of everything. It won't go wrong._

"Very well then-so, what do we say?"

"WE WANT FAIR TREATMENT!"

The chorus was resounding, and some of the students held up their signs and grinned, while others simply punched their fists into the air. Kumori didn't know all of them, particularly some of the boys, but in this moment he was proud of every single one of them. _We will be making a difference._ He smiled, confidently, and went to pick up his sign.

"Alright everyone, Get into fours, and follow me! We will now be beginning our peaceful protest."

 **…**

Sho was bored.

He had finished his practice-honestly, writing a birthday message in the sky was _easy_ -and he'd tinkered with some vehicles, and now there was nothing to do. Well, he could study, but really he couldn't be bothered. He wanted to be out, and around. He'd bumped into a few people he knew on the way, and exchanged words, but they'd all been doing this and that and he hadn't been able to wheedle his way into hanging out with them. His buddies Hiro and Teruya hadn't arrived yet, and Hiro had a lab session so he'd probably head straight there rather than opting to hang out the moment he arrived. So, at a loss, Sho ended up outside, randomly wandering and debating whether he should just skip school for the morning and hit the town. He did have classes for the morning, but, much like with the roof, there were never any real consequences for skipping. A slap on the wrist, nothing more.

 _Truth be told,_ he thought with a sigh as he strolled meaninglessly through the grounds, _it takes some of the fun away._ Could something be considered forbidden if it didn't come with consequences? It seemed to him that he could possibly get away with a lot, all by dint of his Ultimate (as Shino had told him they called it in some of the Western versions of Hope's Peak) talent. In some way, his questions about what rules and restrictions Reserve Course students had had been answered and then some, not just as a result of the statues destruction the week before (the culprit of which still hadn't been found despite the punishments the school had chosen to enforce), but from meeting Emiko and Shino. He was surprised about just how cool they both were. It certainly didn't hurt that both of them were also quite easy on the eye, either. While it may have only been early days, he was having a whale of a time with them, and he wanted it to continue. But they hadn't arrived in school yet, either.

 _Hmm, perhaps I should text them._

On an impulse, he sat down on the grass right where he had been standing, and whipped out his phone.

 _Hey,_ he texted each of them, _you on your way to school let? Let's hang out_

Five, ten, twenty minutes went by as he then idly played a couple of games, but there was no answer. _Helloooo? Helloooo?_ He texted this a couple of times, but again, no response. _Ah, maybe I should just go out instead…._ Sho sighed as he locked his phone screen, and got up again, looking around him. Then, he spotted a crowd.

"Oh?" he muttered, intrigued. "Has something else happened?"

Rather than moving towards it, he surveyed it for a moment, and realised that it was not a crowd like the one that had gathered around the destroyed statues, but a procession. And, more unusually, they were chanting. _What are they saying? We want….we were….? Hmmm?_ Sho started to amble over, and as he got closer, details in the picture became clearer to him. The people in the procession were all Reserve Course students, and some of them were holding placards and signs, all of them demanding that they were treated fairer, or complaining about the punishments put in place. And indeed, they were chanting 'we demand fair treatment'. Fairly calmly, but it looked to Sho that there were a good number of the Reserve Course student body in the procession, and so the chants reached quite the volume, especially as he kept getting closer.

It was with some surprise that he noticed that the student that Riko Izumi tutored was leading the way, eyes blazing with passion and face resolute. _Funny, I always thought he was such a mouse,_ but Sho didn't dwell on it as something occurred to him and he started to scan the procession-a procession which was rapidly growing in size as more and more student started to trickle into school and join in.

 _This is…_ his heart started to race. _This is…._

"Hey, morning there!" he kept calling out, still searching the faces. "What's up?!"

He was met with bemused looks and some greetings, most of them hesitant but some friendly, but none from faces he recognised. But still, he kept walking down the line-a harder feat than it sounded, considering that none of them hesitated in their march. _Maybe they're….yes…._ he grinned as he spotted a flash of plaid brown and a swish of pink hair, and he zoned in.

"Yo!" he called out. "What are you guys doing?"

Shino and Emiko, almost as if as one, stepped out of the line and stopped, as the procession continued. Emiko gave a radiant reassuring smile to a girl next to them who regarded them with concern before shrugging and moving on, before turning that smile onto Sho, who returned it.

"Protesting, obviously! I thought you were bright." Shino teased.

"Yeah, yeah, just asking. Whose idea was it?"

"Kurogane in the second year," Shino replied. "We were all complaining and he just pulled everyone together and planned it. Apparently he's kinda the go-to person for things like this, from what I've heard. We've been planning it over chat for days-you didn't notice?"

Sho thought back, but had to confess that he had not.

"Shino, that's a Reserve Course chat you're thinking of." Emiko reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. Anyway, wanna join us?"

"I don't have a placard." Sho said, though it was not a real objection. _Of course I want in on the thrill. Does the question even need to be asked?_

"Oh, who cares?" Shino asked flippantly.

"Yeah, do come and join us." Emiko fluttered her eyelashes and pouted coquettishly. "We'd love to have you."

"Oh, I'm sure you would." Sho teased right back. "But sure-"

Sho's deliberate step into the crowd was halted by a piercing shout, and he stopped. More shouts followed, and he felt a ripple emanate through the crowd. He put his foot down, and whipped around to see what looked like at least two dozen security guards and a couple of Main Course class teachers rushing towards them, most of them yelling:

"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

Next to him, Shino swore, and Emiko let out a shriek. Screams pierced the air, the crowd started to scatter, and placards dropped to the ground. Later, when thinking back, Sho would swear he'd heard Kumori plead 'We come in peace!' just before everything happened. But in that moment, Sho did not realise he had noticed any such thing.

All he saw was all hell breaking loose.


	13. All Hell, part 2

**I am dedicating this chapter to you Crimsy, because it is the one you've been waiting for! But yeah, everyone, enjoy!  
**

* * *

There was a part of Mizuki that thought that perhaps she should not just plunge straight into the crowds that had greeted her when she'd arrived, but head for the safety of one of the Main Course buildings, as she had spotted some of her own classmates do. But she had thought of Mokomichi, and of Hana, and some of her former classmates, and so she had shoved aside common sense. She was regretting it now, as she was jostled from side to side, stumbling and nearly losing her footing more than once, but she was at the point that she could not turn back now. _Not until I at least check on them…._

"Yamashi-,Otsuki-sa" Mizuki's voice strained painfully as she yelled, and she could hear how the names half-disappeared into the rest of the noise. "Whe-"

She gasped as she suddenly collided into a security guard who looked like he could be at least 7ft tall who swore and turned, a threatening expression on his face that abruptly froze and turned to shock when he looked at her properly.

"Lass, you shouldn't be in this mess," he told her. "We're handling it, you get yourself safe."

Mizuki opened her mouth to object, but suddenly the guard ran straight at a small cluster of Reserve Course boys, one of whom let out a yell. She set off, still looking for her people, but starting to feel sick. She had noticed a lot of Reserve Course students being manhandled, many bleeding. _What…what's happening? I still don't have a clear picture and-oh!_

"Teranaga."

The hand around her arm was solid and real, but the familiar voice, normal in volume but still clear above the chaos, felt even more real. _Oh thank goodness._ Mizuki's knees almost gave way in relief, but she took in a shuddery breath and twisted around to look at Mokomichi. Scanning him, he didn't look hurt, but his clothes were slightly rumpled. _Thank goodness._

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I am. What about you? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. And for Otsuki-san-have you seen her, is she here?"

"I haven't the slightest idea, but she can't be faring well if she is-lets go and find her."

"Yes, lets."

 _Oh thank goodness, thank goodness you are here._ The relief was still overpowering, but she focused herself. Mokomichi let go of her arm and they pushed through the crowd together, searching for a slight girl with curly lilac hair and a flower headband.

"Do you kno- what's hap-ing?" Mizuki asked hurriedly, as loud as she could. "Why the Reserve Course students are rioting?"

"Well, the-obvious to me, under the cir-stances," somehow, despite the chaos, Mokomichi managed to sound deadpan as he said this, but became serious.

"But I do know this wa-osed to be a peaceful- second year student organised it."

"Were you going to join it?"

"No. Had a feeling this would happen."

"How?"

"I….."

Mizuki sensed something in Mokomichi's hesitation, and despite the circumstances stopped dead and tugged at his sleeve impatiently.

"What? What is it?"

"Well….on the group chat us Reserve Course-have-a multi-year one,-if you were ever part of it…."

Mizuki did not think she had been, but then again she had not necessarily been on chat-group terms with most of her classmates. Not that she had been lonely as such, but sti- _that's not the point!_ Mizuki forced herself to listen to Mokomichi, having to strain particularly hard.

"You know Shino-Chan? We met them the other day? They made an offhand comment about starting a riot, but apparently Kurogane-kun shut that down. But…"

"You think they might not have been 'shut down'." Mizuki finished.

Mokomichi simply nodded, and Mizuki gritted her teeth. _A peaceful protest would have been perfectly fine. But this…._ Before she could dwell on the implications (and the many, many things she'd say to Shino when the time came), a particular scream in amongst the others caught her attention. She looked at Mokomichi, who had thought the same thing, and they both rushed off instantly.

They found Hana half-sprawled on the ground, trying to get up but failing as she was buffeted from all sides by stampeding teens, and in one case by a girl struggling to get out of the grasp of a security guard. With Mokomichi taking the lead, they both pushed past, and grabbed Hana by the arms, pulling her up abruptly and then dragging her along without explanation. As they searched for a safe place, Mizuki thought of the girl who had been manhandled by a guard, but then she caught a glimpse of a copper ponytail going in that direction, and she was able to breathe a little easier.

She was able to breathe yet another one when suddenly they stumbled out onto grass that was only occupied by small groups of students sitting or lying on the grass, some tending to each other. Finally, Mizuki let go of Hana's arm, and turned to look at her.

"Are you alright?"

Hana narrowed her eyes slightly at Mizuki and Mokomichi, rubbing her arms where they'd gripped her, but she sighed and nodded.

"What's happening? I just came in and…"

Mizuki quickly filled her in on the situation, and soon found out that Hana hadn't even had the slightest suspicion that this was happening, having not been a part of the chat group nor close to any of the main instigators of the situation.

"So what's going to happen?"

"I am not sure," Mizuki admitted. "But I don't think it'll end well for any of your classmates. I'll need to go back in."

"Are you mad, Teranaga?"

"No, I'm not, Yamashita-kun." Mizuki said crossly. "But look around you!"

Mokomichi obliged her, then eventually nodded.

"I'll come with you. You'll need an extra pair of hands."

"Right, but…."

Mizuki looked at Hana, who had wrapped her arms around herself tightly, and now stared at them slightly blankly. _She can't be on her own._ Even if slim, she still had some responsibility towards her.

"Why don't you come and stay with us?"

All three of them whipped around at the sound, to see that they were being addressed by a tall, somewhat large Main Course girl with a soft expression on her face. She was sitting near to a small cluster of Reserve Course students, a bandage roll in her hands, which made sense considering the number of the Reserve Course students who were bandaged.

"I…are you sure?" Mizuki asked, internally breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yes. Come now…what's your name?" the girl gestured to Hana, already putting down her bandage roll and searching through her school bag.

"Hana Otsuki." Hana said, cautiously.

"Then, come, Otsuki-Chan. No need to worry, I'll sort you out. Hopefully this will be over soon."

The girl gave a warm smile, producing a chocolate bar from her bag, which she held out to Hana.

"Here, it looks like you've had quite a shock, and sugar is good for that."

Hana obliged, accepting the chocolate bar and sitting down. Mizuki thanked the large girl effusively before she exchanged a look with Mokomichi, and they both rushed into the fray.

 **…**

Keiko watched the girl and boy disappear into the chaos with a swirling mixture of trepidation, admiration and guilt deep inside her. _I could never do something like that,_ she thought. _But it would have been wrong to shy away._ Hence why she was sitting here now, doing her best to tend to those who were injured-and there were just so many of them. She wasn't sure her experience in patching up childhood scrapes were doing much good.

"Has anyone called emergency services?" she asked the Reserve Course boy who was tapping at his phone furiously next to her.

"Nope, not allowed apparently. Mate of mine just got threatened, and a security guard just stamped on another girl's phone when she tried." He responded automatically without looking up.

"But that's…..that's wrong. Some of you are seriously injured!"

"Yeah, but we're Reserve Course students. You think they care?"

"That's…"

The boy looked at up at Keiko then, and she had to fight to not recoil and the contempt in his eyes.

"You're the ones they really care about. You'll never know what it's like to be dehumanised. Why do you think we all set out today?"

"I….."

 _You don't think I know what it's like? Do I know? Is it dehumanising, the position I'm in?_ Keiko shook her head.

"Even so, on a moral level….."

"Pah," the boy spat. "There's no point. They'll wear us all down and sweep it under the carpet. Watch this space."

"My kouhai, are you all okay?"

The tense conversation was disrupted by a rather rumpled looking boy with a streak of neon green in his black hair rushing towards them. The boy's demeanour changed, as did that of most of the Reserve Course students, apparently recognising him. Keiko was curious, but her own attention was disrupted again by someone stumbling towards her.

"Usui-sempai!" Yuna cried out. "Usui-sempai, what's happening?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but are you alright?"

"I can't get to class!" Yuna shrieked. "It's all, it's all!"

"Deep breath, Yorokobi-Chan, deep breath."

Keiko managed to coax Yuna to sit down, and put her hands reassuringly on the younger girl's shoulders. Eventually, Yuna calmed down, and Keiko pushed a carton of juice into her hand.

"I don't think we'll be able to get anywhere." Keiko said afterwards. "But if we wait it out, we should be fine."

"But how long will that be?" Yuna asked shakily in between sips of her juice.

"Oh, not long!"

This airy response came from the male Reserve Course student who had arrived just moments before Yuna, who was grinning triumphantly.

"I called my parents!" he proclaimed.

"…Kaneda-sempai, you should probably give more context to that." One of the girls pointed out.

"Ahahah, yes, you are right, silly me!" Kaneda laughed, rubbing his head in embarrassment. "My parents are both police officers. "

"But you're not _meant_ to call the police, sempai!"

"No-one said anything about parents, did they?"

"Well, no….."

"There you go. I won't get into trouble for that, lovely kouhai, don't you worry about me!"

Kaneda grinned at them as he said this, and despite herself, Keiko gave a small smile back, and spoke.

"Well, hopefully something will be done soon then. And then all this will be over."

 **…**

After the fifth or so time they had managed to wriggle away from the clutches of a slap-happy security guard, Shino decided it would be best if the two of them attempted to seek refuge in one of the Main Course buildings, and relayed this to Emiko as they wove in and out of bushes, crouching low and whispering as quietly as they could while still being able to hear each other.

"What? I thought it was barricaded?"

"Well, yeah, but you use your wily charms to get past our classmates and I'll use my clothes to fool the Ultimates." Shino said flippantly.

"Ah yes, of coooourse." Emiko responded. "Guess I can use the family name on the Main Course students too."

Shino grinned at that. She wasn't fooled for a second that Emiko actually cared one fig about her family name. It was just a pretence, something she was wringing every little advantage out of until she could fling it aside. Not that Emiko, so pretty and in her pristine uniform, would ever admit to it. But Shino could tell. Shino could always tell.

"If it fails, I'll tell them you're my one true love, that we're fighting against a cruel fate that would see us separated. That ought to work."

"Of course it would, Romeo." Emiko said, fluttering her eyelashes but blushing very, very slightly. "But should we get Nakajima-chan?"

Shino considered. They hadn't seen even a glimpse of Sho since their peaceful protest had turned into a riot. But they suspected he'd be more than fine. Between his easy charm and the privilege of his Talent, he'd be wonderful. _And probably enjoying this as much as I am…..which is….._ Shino wondered-were they enjoying this? Yes, they'd wanted a riot, something to shake the Main Course out of its complacency and make them sit up. But had they wanted…this? Screaming, actual injuries that bled? _If a school can make a teenager disappear and have nobody care, this wouldn't have been such a hindrance to them. What did I expect, really?_ Shino shook their head. Now was not the time to think like that. Much better if they could get to somewhere safe, watch everything unfold from afar, then plan their next move.

"Nah, Nakajima's fine, I'm sure of it. "

"Well then, if you say so, Shino. Which way are we going?"

"Umm….."

Shino scanned the area, drawing on her experience of sneaking around. Eventually, she spotted a path they could probably manage.

"There," she pointed. "You ready?"

Emiko grinned, golden eyes sparkling.

"Anytime."

 **…**

Mihoko sighed quietly as the two girls who had been standing by her bush suddenly ran off, their footsteps vibrating the ground at first but gradually fading away. Cautiously, she dared to stretch first one leg, and then the other, before huddling up again.

She was not sure how long she had been here, just that she'd arrived that morning as usual, had seen chaos and tried to get to the West Building, only to see two security guards at the door, one of them holding a boy up by his jacket and spitting in rage. She'd fled at that point, though she wasn't sure why that decision had led to her deciding to hide in the bushes. Either way, that is what she had done, and that is where she had stayed, all this time.

 _Wasn't there meant to be a protest or something today? I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be peaceful though._ Mihoko wasn't someone who really threw herself into school life much, though she was trying to become a little more connected with her peers now at least, so she'd really only been on the edge of the whispered plans, only caught a glimpse of the heightened excitement. _This isn't a peaceful protest though, it's….._ she'd not looked at what was happening since she'd dived into the bush, but the noise was more than enough. It made her recall history lessons about wars, the videos about warzones that had been used in those lessons. And what little she'd seen before she'd fled- _is this a revolt?_ If there was anything in the world worth revolting against, it was Hope's Peak and its elitism. _But still…_

"I want to go home." She whispered, surprising herself.

She reached for her phone, and then hesitated. The screen brightness was quite high, what if someone-a security guard, or somebody else-saw it and found her. What would happen to her? She withdrew her hand from her school trouser pocket, and then idly picked out leaves from her wavy hair, though she knew it to be a pointless endeavour. She fidgeted slightly, and waited. And waited, and waited, and waited. And then…

"STOP."

The voice blared, as if from a loudspeaker, and Mihoko startled. _Is that…Mori?_ She'd only met him twice since the TEP had started, but the timbre seemed familiar enough.

"STOP."

"CEASE THE FIGHTING IMMEDIATELY."

"PUT DOWN THE WEAPONS AND FREEZE!"

Sosuke Mori's voice repeated, and then two new voices issued loudspeaker-resonant commands, over and over. And with each one, the cacophony dimmed, just a little each time, and the commands repeated, as if in a planned loop, decreasing the volume just a little each time, until finally…

Slowly, Mihoko got up. Her foot had gone to sleep, and she had to shake it, flailing, but she still managed to stand, dusting off her uniform, picking more leaves out of her hair, and picking up her school bag. One step, then another, and she was out of the bush. She turned to look at her surroundings, and she had to fight to not weep from the relief.

Because finally, finally, it was over.

* * *

 **Characters introduced this chapter (finally!):**

 **Mihoko Sakurai, Class 3C (Belongs to: Crimson Spider Lily)**


	14. Not So Easy

"But Principal, I don't understand."

"The riots started as a result of the actions of Reserve Course students' actions," Principal Naegi said. "I sympathise with your stance, but we cannot let them off scot-free. Are you aware of the disturbance they caused?"

"And what about the injuries inflicted on them, by security guards who should have known better?" Minah asked.

She gestured to some of the students she had accompanied, many bandaged up, most teary-eyed and dirty. _This feels like we are going around in circles._ She had only intended to get the students she'd helped back into their school building and help them get home or to hospital from there as needed, now that the rioting had actually stopped. But then she'd realised that the students were being threatened and punished in a way that was disturbing. And she had realised that as a Main Course student, she had some power. And so she had gathered together a group, and gone to vouch for them.

"We will talk to them in due course, but the safety of the school is paramount, and it was not the guards who violated that."

"You mean, the safety of the Main Course students!"

As soon as Minah said that, she clapped her hands to her mouth and bowed.

"I apologise, that was out of line."

"No, no, I understand you feel strongly about this," Naegi responded forgivingly. "However, we-"

His sentence was cut off by the door swinging open, and a new group of students coming through. Leading them was none other than Mizuki Teranaga.

"Kang-san," she said, sounding surprised. "You were there?"

"I was. Have you heard about the punishments they're giving to the Reserve Course students?"

Too many to count, or even start to mention. Expulsions, suspensions, curfews ( _curfews_ , for a _day_ school), possible withdrawal of facilities, more besides that.

"Of course. In fact, I'm here to personally vouch for these students."

Mizuki gestured to the rest of her group, seeming to point particularly to a pretty girl with curly lilac hair, and a slim boy with a calm expression. Minah nodded at them, and then studied the rest of the students. To her surprise, she realised there were a couple more Main Course students in the group, and two she recognised-Keiko, and Yuna. Keiko's face lit up when she noticed Minah, but then the expression became a worried frown as she studied her.

"Kang-Chan!" Keiko exclaimed. "Are you alright?! You got hurt!"

"Oh, this isn't much," Minah said. "I'm fine, really."

"Well, that's good to hear," Mizuki said briskly, though she did look relieved as she watched them. "But the issue at hand-it's clear from how you decided to handle the statues incident-which I am still displeased about, Principals-that you're not going to listen to reason about dropping punishments completely. "

"Now, Teranaga-san, that is…"

"Extreme? But I would argue that you began this in an extreme manner. I am simply responding in kind." Mizuki responded.

"But-"

"I'm not giving my time and funds to this school for you to mistreat them."

 _Wow, she's really something._ As passionately as Minah felt that the principals were in the wrong, it had been a challenge to speak out to the extent she had already. She couldn't imagine being so assertive in the way Mizuki was, in a way that could have bordered on rude in the wrong context or through the wrong pair of eyes. After all, elders deserved respect.

Yet, at the same time, respect needed to be earnt. And was this earning respect? She did not think so. _But…_

"It is these particular students you wish to vouch for, yes?" Hinata asked eventually, gesturing to them all.

"Yes, that's right." Minah felt the need to say.

"Ideally, what you'd be doing is conducting a full, proper investigation, with the assistance of law enforcement, and then deciding on appropriate consequences for the actual people responsible, student and staff alike. But yes, I will settle for this, for now." Mizuki added.

The two principals exchanged a look. Hinata looked troubled, his forehead creased in a deep frown. Naegi simply looked vaguely worried, but eventually he managed a smile and a nod, and turned to address them.

"Well, in that case, I think we can make an exception…"

 **…**

They all walked out of the office somberly, but with some relief. Every single Reserve Course student in their group now had a signed note in their pockets, and an electronic backup on their IDs. Like notes parents wrote for their young children to excuse them from lessons when they were feeling sick. It seemed faintly bizarre to Minah, but if it helped, then it helped. She had already promised to assist Mizuki in finding more students to bring to the principals for one of these notes, and though she somehow doubted they'd be able to find everyone in the Reserve Course student body (and indeed, if they had indeed committed a wrongdoing they shouldn't get off scot free), she hoped that this strategy would protect as many of them as possible.

Though they remained in silence as they walked, they all seemed to come to an agreement of sorts to walk the Reserve Course students out and back to the West Building, just in case. But as they walked across the grass and courtyards, some of the students drifted off, apparently preferring to make their own way. There were security guards and some teachers milling around, but to Minah's relief, nothing happened to these students. They just joined bigger groups, and continued along their way.

The group continued to dwindle as they neared the site of the damaged statues, which oddly enough were completely unsupervised. But then again, the stone fragments had all been cleared away, leaving an oddly bare space in its wake, so it was not so strange. Mizuki, who had been leading them all, slowed down as she came right up to the area, and then paused, before kneeling and looking at the ground closely.

Everyone stopped as well, milling around, giving Minah the opportunity to observe who had remained. There was Mizuki, and herself, of course, but Keiko and Yuna had stayed with them. Yuna looked fairly baffled, so Minah suspected she'd stayed out of a loss as to any better ideas, but Keiko was fussing over Mihoko, the Reserve Course girl whom Minah had found on her way up to the Principal's office, and oddly enough Kaneda was doing the same thing, plucking leaves out of her hair and trying to get her to take stickers. Mihoko didn't look particularly pleased at the attention, but her hazel eyes looked less fearful now, and some of the colour had returned to her face, so her freckles did not stand out against her skin so much.

The blond haired boy and the pretty petite girl that seemed closely aligned to Mizuki had also remained, as had a long-haired boy whose pink eyes currently looked very, very troubled.

It was this boy who spoke first.

"Teranaga-sama, what do you think is going to happen next?"

His voice sounded heavy. Mizuki-still crouching-turned to look at him.

"I honestly could not say. But whatever happens next, we'll need to do something. I don't want things getting worse."

"If I had not had the foolish idea of-"

"Hey hey hey, my Kouhai, don't go blaming yourself!"

In a flash, Kaneda had abandoned Mihoko to hug the boy, who looked extremely bemused by the gesture.

"It is my fault though, Kaneda-sempai. If I hadn't arranged the peaceful protest, then we wouldn't have been there."

 _Oh, so he had a role in this? I suppose it makes sense that this wasn't supposed to have been violent._

"No, you weren't in the wrong to arrange a peaceful protest, um-sorry, what was your name?" Minah surprised herself by speaking out.

The boy managed to extricate himself from Kaneda's over-friendliness and looked at her.

"Kumori Kurogane. You're Minah Kang aren't you?"

She was taken aback for a moment, but in hindsight people already knowing her name did make some sense, so Minah simply nodded before continuing.

"You were responding to injustice, and that's always something that should be done. The fact it went wrong…it's regrettable, but do not regret what brought you to this point in the first place. "

"I…thank you very much, Kang-sama."

"No need to thank me."

"She's right," Mizuki agreed. "And in that vein, I think that if we are all agreeable here, we should attempt to do something to make things right."

"Do…do you mean like vouching for more students, like you and Kang-Chan were discussing?" Keiko asked tentatively.

"Well, that would be a start, yes."

"Ahhh, you thinking of recruiting these guys to your cause, then, Teranaga?"

This comment came from the blond Reserve Course boy, who simply smiled when Mizuki shot him an annoyed look. After a moment, she simply sighed.

"He's half right. I am looking to collaborate with more people to find a way to make things better for the Reserve Course. "

"Seems to me like the need got a lot more urgent now." Mihoko remarked.

"Exactly, exactly." Mizuki said. She patted the empty ground thoughtfully, and then got up to face them all.

"There's going to be a lot of discord between the two courses now more than ever, I think, after what's been happening recently. And the school seems insistent on pretending everything is fine…"

"How would you change things?" Yuna asked in that pause.

"I'm not sure, Yorokobi-sempai," Mizuki admitted. "I have ideas, naturally, and I will still be working on things. But that's precisely why I need a team. "

"I'll help you, if need be." Minah said instantly, before Mizuki or anyone else could say anything else.

"I will too." Kumori said. "Even if I could not have done anything about what happened today, I would like to try and make things right."

"My skills don't really lie with protests or campaigns or anything along those lines, but if you'd like me to help, I'd do my best to support you all." Keiko offered hesitantly.

"Well, I can hardly refuse to help when my kouhai have been in trouble, can I?" Kaneda declared. "I just want us all to be happy, so I am _in_!"

"Won't we get in trouble?"

This came from the petite girl who was with Mizuki. Everyone stared at her, and she bit her lip slightly, avoiding their gaze.

"She does have a point." Mihoko remarked.

"Yes, indeed." Mizuki spoke up. "We shouldn't need to sneak around like we're doing something wrong, but we will need to be discreet. So to that end, we should probably try to have a meeting somewhere that's not quite as open as this, later today, or perhaps tomorrow. "

"In school, or out of school?" Minah asked.

"In school, for now, just to get the ball rolling."

"So…a lunchtime meeting then? Or straight before or after the school day begins?" Keiko suggested. "But where?2

"That's a good question…."

"What about the graveyard, Teranaga?"

Mizuki looked over at the boy in surprise. His gaze was even, and after a moment, Mizuki nodded, and returned to address the group.

"Wait, there's a _graveyard_ in the school?" Minah burst out.

"There is," Mizuki said. "It's small, and out of the way. Not many people know of its existence, but it is there. And for what is essentially an emergency meet-up, it will be a suitable place."

"Who is buried there?" Kaneda wanted to know.

"Nobody is actually buried there," the blond boy spoke up. "But the gravestones are for past Main Course students who died."

 _Not Reserve Course?_ Minah wondered. But she thought that was a question best served for later.

"Still strikes me as morbid." Mihoko said off-handedly.

"So, how do we get to this graveyard?" Kumori asked.

Mizuki proceeded to describe the location-which sounded, as far as Minah could understand, to be right at the edge of the school grounds, near the woods-but then she took out her phone.

"If we all exchange numbers, I will send you directions from our respective school buildings."

So they did just that, and after some negotiation they decided that they would be meeting first thing the next morning. Hopefully by then, some of the immediate heat of the riot would have worn off, and it'd be easy for them to all get there. Though Minah was fully intending to be as early as possible so she could look out for them all, just in case.

"If any of you know anyone else who may be interested in joining us, invite them." Mizuki said. "But let me know as well."

"Sure, sure." Kaneda said.

"I think I'm going to go back inside and study." Yuna spoke up. "I…um…will see you all tomorrow."

"Of course, see you tomorrow." Mizuki said.

Yuna left, and after Keiko made her apologies, she also turned back and left. Minah watched them ago, and then turned to look at Mizuki.

"We should probably finish getting them safely over, right?"

"Yes, we should. Let's go."

 **…**

Azuki hung back at the doorway of the unfamiliar room as the four old men filed in. Despite the lab coats with the Hope's Peak insignia on it and the ID cards they had shown him, he could not take them at their word. What if this was some elaborate kidnap claim? Or….worse? Towa City may have been a better off area than the town in Osaka where he'd spent his early childhood, but that didn't mean bad things couldn't happen there too. _Though the first time hadn't been at home…_

"Come, please sit. And do close the door behind you."

The old man who had spoken was the tallest, with severe features and eyes hidden behind the glare of his round glasses. He reminded Azuki of an old school teacher back in Paris, when he had been in _ecole primaire_. Azuki jumped, and warily shut the door, before slowly walking to the chair that sat on the other side of the desk to the four men. _What is this, a job interview?_ But even joking with himself couldn't dispel the sense of unease. Lowering himself unto the chair, he stared at the men, and waited.

"So, what am I here for?" Azuki asked, trying to contain his trembling.

"The…disturbances today. You filmed them?" The tall man asked.

Azuki had the wild thought of denying this, but then he remembered that he was still clutching the very camera that he had used to film it in his hands, and there was no use in denying it. So he simply nodded.

"And what do you intend to do with your footage?"

Azuki sensed that his true answer- _show it to Mizuki Teranaga, leak it on my channel-_ was not the one these imposing men wished to hear, so he shrugged, helplessly.

"It seemed a good idea at the time."

"I see, I see." The tall man exchanged meaningful looks with his three companions, and then one of them-stocky and red-faced- took over the speaking.

"You understand, don't you, that we cannot possibly let you keep it?"

"Why?"

He regretted asking the question the moment it left his lips, but he ended up wanting to shrivel up into himself, the way the four men looked at him.

"You are a social media star, the SHSL Social Media Star, nonetheless. It is in your nature to share things on the internet to let adoring fans lap it up the world over," the red-faced man said. "There is no reason why you wouldn't turn this video into an opportunity to deepen your talent, but we cannot allow that."

So many different responses filled Azuki's head, and in most circumstances, he'd have let any of them rip, authority be damned. But the four men just looked at him, so implacable, and when he tried, the words froze in his throat. He could actually feel them, blocking his airways, and he gulped, and gulped.

"So what do you want then? To pay me off? So I don't say anything?"

"Oh, something like that, something like that. Except, we don't resort to bribery."

"Oh, don't you know?" Though his voice felt shaky, he could also feel some of his confidence return.

"No," the first old man, the one that had reminded him of his old teacher said. "We don't resort to bribery."

He nodded to the strongest looking man of the group, who silently got up and approach Azuki. Azuki stiffened, and brought up his knees, thinking of kneeing him in the groin or kicking his face or something, but all the man did was kneel down in front of him, getting down to his level and placing meaty hands on his skinny shoulders, mannerisms that might be used to comfort a distressed child. But the expression on the man's face was anything but comforting. In fact, it was devoid of everything that could be called an expression, of any sort. Azuki gulped, but the man did not react, simply leaning in.

"We operate under promises."

This came from the blank man whose face was now only inches from Azuki's own. The voice was gravelly and deep, barely there. He may not have spoken at all, but the four words had tunnelled themselves into Azuki's mind, so there was no doubt about it. _Promises….._ Azuki could not ask, was not sure he _wanted_ to ask.

"A promise that if you don't give it up, you may not be able to make any other video again."

Azuki stared helplessly at the blank man, whose gaze remained level with his for a moment longer, before he turned to look at his colleagues-though his hands still gripped Azuki's shoulder tightly.

"I think the message has been conveyed." He said drily.

"Good," the teacher-like man said.

The blank man's hands finally let go of Azuki's shoulders, but he had barely let out a sigh of relief when the camera he had been holding slipped out of his hands. Azuki jumped, then realised the blank man was holding the camera.

"H-hey, you can't just take the whole camera!" he cried out.

"Can't we?" the red-faced man asked lightly.

"I…I need it, you know!"

"Oh, you have other cameras, do you not?"

"Well, yes.."

"Then, what's the matter?"

"The matter is that you're stealing my property!"

"Oh, dear boy, you may be rich now, but surely you don't think that property is more important than your livelihood, or even your life?"

"What the hell is that suppose-"

Azuki cut himself off as the meaning sank in. He shrank back in his chair and stared at the men, his breathing ragged, suddenly. He wanted to run, but could not run. He wanted to scream, but his throat was clogged again. _Am I…am I going to die?_

"Good, _now_ he understands." The teacherly man said to his blank-faced colleague.

"Indeed he does. Just as I am sure he understands that none of this conversation must go beyond these doors for the same reason." The blank man agreed. "So we don't need to take up any more of his time, do we?"

"No, of course not. Sawada-kun, you may leave."

Azuki stared at him, and the teacherly man smiled genially and gestured to the door.

"Go on, go on."

 _Move, stupid legs, move!_

Azuki leapt up and scrambled to the door. He tugged at it, the handle seeming heavy, but he managed to yank it wide open enough for him to slip through, and then he ran and ran. He was dimly aware of some people calling out to him, but he ignored them, flailing as he rushed through corridors and down flights of stairs. He didn't rest until he was outside of the school building.

Leaning against the wall, he slid down it until he was sitting haphazardly on the ground, and his entire body trembled as he tried to get his breath back. Gradually, gradually though, it started to return, and his body began to still, and in sheer exhaustion he put his head back and closed his eyes. Not quite wanting to fall asleep, he shifted himself slightly, shuffling a little.

And then something in his trouser pocket pressed into his leg.

 _What..?_ Azuki's eyes opened abruptly, and he sat up straight. He put his hand in his pocket, curled his fingers around the object and pulled it out to look at it.

It was a micro-USB stick. The one he usually attached to the camera as back-up that had just been taken from him. But what was it doing here? Azuki thought about this, recalling what he had been doing in the moments leading up to the four men finding him. _I'd turned off the camera, and taken the USB off and into my pocket, and then I'd been about to go to my room to cha-oh. Oh._

 _This means that….I still have…._

Azuki gulped and shoved the stick back into his pocket, looking around him furtively. Yet, at the same time, there was a sense of triumph. He was not completely defeated, after all. _I need to find-_

"Sawada-san, are you alright?"

 _Ah, speak of the devil, and her horns appear._ As Azuki was getting up, Mizuki was walking across the grass to him. She stopped, a few steps away, and regarded him curiously. It occurred to him that telling another person what he had in his pocket could lead to another scene like the one he just escaped from, and that maybe he wouldn't be let free so easily the next time.

 _But I am not going to be defeated so easily._

"We need to meet somewhere private. I have something important to tell you."


	15. Meet-up

_None of this really feels real_ , Mihoko thought to herself as she walked along the grounds of Hope's Peak, heading to a graveyard she had never even heard of until yesterday. Some of the emptiness around her could be accounted for by the fact it was still very early, she had to acknowledge that, but after yesterday's events and how heavy-handed the school had been to the Reserve Course students, she'd expected to get hassle for her presence, to see some sort of surveillance around the West Building, anything really. But apart from some scuff marks on the ground and certain plants with much fewer leaves that would be expected for the season, it was as if nothing had happened at all. There had been nothing on the TV, only a few articles from obscure online newspapers hidden way down the search results and a smattering of speculation on the school forums about what had happened.

 _And yet, what am I doing?I'm going to a meeting about this event to do…something?_ Mihoko didn't typically consider herself stupid, but she really wasn't sure what she had got into. The last thing she had been really clear on was Sosuke managing to bring the rioting to an end, then stumbling around and being found by Minah Kang, and then being taken to the Principals' office to be 'vouched for' and leaving with a note in her pocket. A note she still- _yes, it's still there-_ she breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the folded piece of paper in her inner blazer pocket. She sighed, and paused for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek absently as she considered her situation.

"Oh, it's Sakurai-Chaaaaan! Good morning to you!"

Mihoko jumped and whipped around to see two boys coming towards her, both of them Reserve Course. She recognised Kaneda as the one who spoke- _who doesn't recognise him in our year, at least?,_ she thought wryly-and as for the other boy, though his name escaped her at this moment, she knew that they were in the same class.

"Good morning." She said cautiously.

"Morning, Sakurai-Chan." The other boy said.

"So, you all ready and excited?!" Kaneda said, grabbing her arm and pulling her forward, doing the same with the other boy.

"No…"

Clearly, Kaneda had not even heard Mihoko, as he continued talking quite happily.

"We're all gonna make everything alright again! Before we know it, we'll be able to put all of this behind us and we can have a good centenary, right, Yamashita-kun?"

 _Oh yes, Mokomichi Yamashita, that's his name._

"I somehow don't think it's gonna be that easy." Mokomichi said with exaggerated patience.

"Ah, come on!" Kaneda protested, fairly cheerfully. "We've got to have a little optimism."

"We also need a little _realism_." Mihoko pointed out. "The school clearly wants to forget."

Kaneda stopped at this, and let go of their wrists, spinning around dramatically. His eyes were open, and Mihoko saw they were dark brown. But just as quickly, they shut in, and Kaneda adopted a beard-stroking pose, looking deep in thought.

"Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Think about it," Mihoko insisted. "Don't things look normal to you? More normal than you'd expect for a place where _actual riots_ happened yesterday."

"You don't seem too bothered by that." Mokomichi said, deadpan.

Mihoko just rolled her eyes in response.

"Hmmm. I do see what you mean, Sakurai-Chan, I do indeed. That's not good, is it?"

"isn't that why you're coming along to Teranaga's meeting in the first place?" Mokomichi asked.

"Oh, yes, I suppose that's right."

Kaneda shrugged, gave one of his odd laughs, and kept walking. Relieved to not be dragged again, Mihoko followed, and fell into step with Mokomichi.

"So, why are you here?" she asked him. "I know you were there yesterday, but…"

"I'm paired with Teranaga on the TEP." Mokomichi replied simply.

"Oh, you are?"

"Yes. She's got us working with her to make changes to the school, but the riots yesterday kind of accelerated the urgency. Knowing her, she's been cooking up plans all night."

"You know her well then?" Mihoko asked, curious. "That's very quick."

"I'm not sure about know her well…." Mokomichi shrugged. "But I was in the same class as her for first year. You weren't though, I don't think, but surely you remember her?"

Mihoko blinked at Mokomichi, unsure what he was saying. Then her brain caught up.

"You're saying she used to be a Reserve Course student?"

"Yes. You didn't know this?"

"I….no. Though…" Mihoko frowned, a glimmer of memory in the back of her mind. "That sounds familiar? She left, didn't she?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Mokomichi nodded firmly at that, which Mihoko found a little odd, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why. _How weird. I didn't think things like that happened here._

"It is right!" Kaneda called over his shoulder. "She's the SHSL Philanthropist and works very hard-it's dedication you have to admire, especially after the tragedy of her parents."

Mihoko decided not to ask, instead just assuming that Kaneda and Mokomichi's conversation would fill her in.

"Mhm. She's certainly persistent." Mokomichi said. "A bit too persistent."

"Oh, do you think so?" Kaneda asked. "She struck me as fiery."

"Well, yes, but she's also exhausted. Haven't you noticed?"

"Not that I can say."

 _That's certainly a strange thing to pick up on._ Mihoko could not safely say she had noticed any sense of tiredness in Mizuki Teranaga. If anything, she was fairly sure that if she were placed next to the Mizuki Teranaga and they were compared, it would not be the red-haired girl who was labelled as tired, or anything like it. _But maybe…._ a thought began to form as Mokomichi continued to speak.

"She's certainly different from other Main Course students, in any case. Which is probably a good thing, otherwise I'd not be giving her the time of day."

Mihoko smiled wryly. This fitted the vague image she had of her classmate more than anything else he had said so far. But now her theory had crystallised, and she was sure enough to ask it.

"So then, do you _like_ her or something?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Oh oh oh! What's this?"

Kaneda abruptly stopped and turned around, his eyes open once again, making Mihoko almost collide into him. He inspected Mokomichi-who still looked a little bug eyed-very closely with exaggerated seriousness.

"Yamashita-kuuuun, you never told me!"

"That's because I don't."

This was said with just enough annoyance and just enough evenness, for Mihoko to reassess. Most people when hotly denying a crush they actually had would usually blush and flail, but Mokomichi wasn't even close to doing that. But he had averted his eyes slightly, not focusing on either of them, instead only looking at the route ahead.

"You sure about that?

"Yes, I'm sure."

Again, the right balance of annoyance and evenness to seem sincere. Mihoko was half-tempted to probe further, to tease a little, but decided it was too much effort. _Maybe I will just watch and see. It certainly seems like I will be sticking around for a while._ Mihoko sighed, and stretched her arms slightly.

"We should keep going, shouldn't we?"

"Ah!" Kaneda jumped. "Yes, of course. Which way are we going now?"

"I know the way." Mokomichi answered.

Kaneda grinned and made 'lead-the-way' gestures with his hands. Mokomichi shook his head, smiling slightly, and did just that.

"And how do you know where this graveyard is? And how do you know about it?" Mihoko felt compelled to ask.

"Because Teranaga showed me." Came the simple answer.

 _Of course she did._ This, if anything, made Mihoko even surer of her opinion. But she kept it to herself, and just continued walking.

 **…**

Sosuke tapped his pen against the paper, and bit his lip. There did not seem to be any particular improvements he could make to this speech, and there was nothing to criticise about what they were doing. He was glad they were not disbanding the TEP, for that would have been more of a punishment to them than it was to the Reserve Course. Continuing to track them all was a good idea, but he only wished some expulsions could have taken place. Though he understood why they had not gone that route, and at least the fee-increase, capped grades and other restrictions would go some way towards showing them that actions came with consequences.

 _At least nobody was seriously injured, or killed._ That would have been a minefield and then some, and any hope the school had of keeping things quiet would have gone out of the window. The way things were though, it would be easy to keep it quiet. Rumours would fly, sure, and some of them would vent about their treatment to all and sundry on social media. But Hope's Peak could keep on top of that. It was fine, all fine.

 _Though, why do I feel like Izumi-san and Teranaga-san would disagree?_

On an impulse, Sosuke decided to get up and stretch his legs. He had come down very early to do this, after all. He was fairly sure that save for the relevant staff, he had been the first awake in the building. With a sigh, he wandered over to the window, and leaned his forehead against it. The view outside was tranquil, but all of a sudden, he could picture the chaos from the day before. Brawling, people tripping over each other, the screams. _What was I thinking, charging through all that?_ He shuddered, involuntarily. _What if I had…..no, it didn't happen. Stop thinking like that, Sosuke Mori!_ But still, he looked out of the window and saw yesterday's scene in front of him instead of the emptiness that was actually there.

And then a flash of red cut across his vision, and he startled.

"What on earth….?"

Sosuke blinked, and finally, he was seeing what he knew was actually there. The emptiness. Except it was no longer empty, as someone was walking across the grass purposefully. Someone red-haired, in a skirt. _Is that….? Yes, that's Teranaga-san. What is she doing at this time of morning? And what's in that direction?_ To the best of Sosuke's knowledge, all that was there were grassy fields, and the woods that Hope's Peak's lands backed out onto.

Sosuke thought as he watched Mizuki continue walking. It was entirely possible she had arranged to do something vaguely philanthropic with those areas of the school, but somehow, he didn't think so. It was the day straight after the riots, she looked purposeful (even from so far above), despite the fact she would also be at the Student Council meeting that was scheduled to take place just before the assembly, and he was still inclined to think that she knew more than she was telling about the statues. _And now I'm thinking about it, didn't I see someone else walking in that direction the last time I got up?_ He had simply dismissed it as being part of the flashback, but now…

Mizuki's walking figure started to disappear from view, and Sosuke stared at her for a while. When she had completely gone, his mind was made up. He went back to the desk, sorted out his work, scribbled a quick but vague note (after all, who knew what he'd find out? With any luck it'd easily be found, and sorted before anyone arrived to wonder why he hadn't), and then he left.

 **…**

When Mizuki arrived, she saw that Mokomichi, Kaneda and the blue-haired girl were all there, along with Keiko and Azuki. It was Azuki who noticed her first, simply raising an eyebrow at her before returning to focusing on his breakfast sandwich with ferocious intensity.

"Good morning," she said. "How is everyone?"

"Oh, you know, just living in suspense, it's great." Azuki muttered sarcastically.

"You're not the one with unknown punishments hovering over your head." The blue-haired girl muttered.

"Now, now, we were all getting along so nicely…and good morning to you, Teranaga-Chan!" Keiko said cheerfully as Azuki started to glower, before fully turning her attention to Mizuki.

"Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes, I have, thank you." Mizuki replied politely.

"Oh, that's good. But I do have some snacks if you are hungry." Keiko indicated the pack next to her.

"Thank you."

Mizuki considered the small graveyard, wondering where to sit. She eventually went and sat near to Mokomichi, who shuffled up immediately to make more space for her.

"Morning." He said, simply.

"Good morning." She greeted in return.

They exchanged a meaningful look-though what it meant, Mizuki could not say-before Mokomichi averted his eyes and leaned back nonchalantly. Unlike the others, he didn't seem particularly concerned by being in a graveyard. But he _had_ chosen a spot as far away from Shouta Takahata's grave as it was possible to be, without completely distancing himself from the others. Mizuki turned to the blue-haired girl, who was also eating a sandwich, though a lot more cautiously than Azuki.

"I don't believe I got your name or pronouns yesterday." She said.

The girl blinked, and let out a slight yawn before answering.

"Mihoko Sakurai, she/her. I'm in his class," she pointed a finger over at Mokomichi. "And I know who you are, so no need to introduce yourself."

"Alright then."

 _No doubt, Yamashita-kun told her._

"But in any case, how is everyone, after yesterday?" Mizuki asked again. "I hope none of you on the Reserve Course have been getting any trouble. I heard a couple of students got expelled. Does anyone know anything about that?"

"Should we not wait for everyone else to get here?" Mokomichi asked.

"Well, yes, but this isn't the proper meeting, yet." Mizuki sighed.

"Fair enough."

"They were second years, I think," Kaneda said, sounding surprisingly level-headed for someone so….usually exuberant.

"Kurogane-kun knew them, but as far as I can tell it wasn't as unfair as any other possible expulsions-they were actively seen attacking other students, and then they punched a teacher. I believe they were just using the protest as an excuse to act up. They weren't expelled though-just suspended. "

"I see."

There was a part of Mizuki that wanted to protest that, simply because they were Reserve Course students, and that they would have been punished just as severely if they had done something more minor. On the other hand, she was fighting for fairness. And fairness meant consequences for actual wrongdoing.

"There's been rumours on our chat group that they might start suspending or expelling students at random, especially if they think they're of the 'inciting' type." Mokomichi said, off hand.

"What chat group?"

Mokomichi and Kaneda both turned to look at Mihoko, who stared back evenly.

"You're not part of the chat group, Sakurai-Chan?" Kaneda exclaimed. "My friend, you're missing out!"

"Is she?"

Azuki's pointed mutter went ignored as Kaneda scrambled over to grab Mihoko into a huggy headlock as he pulled his phone out of his pocket with his other hand and apparently showed her the chat group.

"Look at all the fun!"

"That looks like chaos!"

"But chaos is fun! And you can get to know more people on our course!"

"I know enough people, thanks."

"Aww, come on….."

"You really want me to join, don't you?"

"Is that obvious?"

As the exchange went on, Mizuki exchanged bemused looks with Keiko and Mokomichi.

"He's certainly very friendly, isn't he?" Keiko commented softly. "I bet he's good at making people feel welcome."

"Weirded out, more like." Mokomichi retorted. "Though…I think it comes from a good place, far as I can tell, so I suppose you have a point."

"He looks like he'd be at home on the Main Course." Azuki interjected. "We're all mad there."

"Oh, it isn't that bad, surely…." Keiko began.

"Oh, am I late?"

Though Kaneda and Mihoko went on obliviously, Keiko, Mokomichi, Mizuki and Azuki all looked up as Minah arrived.

"No, not at all. We're still waiting on…." Mizuki took a moment to count. "About six others."

"Oh, that's good."

Minah came in and went to sit next to Keiko, who went slightly pink.

"Good morning, Kang-Chan! Did you have breakfast? I have sandwiches!"

"I did have a quick bite to eat, but I've been working out, so a sandwich would be great, thank you."

Keiko positively beamed at this as she quickly pulled out a sandwich and handed it eagerly to Minah.

"I know we're not started yet, but Teranaga-san, do you know anything about what's happening with the Reserve Course? There's an assembly about it, isn't there?"

"There will be, and incidentally straight after this I have to go meet with the Student Council to work out the final details of the assembly."

"Oh," Keiko exclaimed. "Are you doing the assembly?"

"Not as such-it'll be the Principals, and our Student Council President and Deputy. But I will be involved-the whole student council will be."

"Their Student Council has a lot of power, in contrast to ours." Mokomichi said, slightly bitterly.

Mizuki made to protest, but Mokomichi shook his head. _I don't mean that as something against you,_ he seemed to be saying. Or rather, she hoped he was saying. She sighed, and let it go. For a while there was quiet, punctuated only by the sounds of nature and those who were eating sandwiches when:

"Alright, alright, I'll think about it!"

Mihoko's slightly irritated voice cut through the silence, and they all turned to her. Kaneda had let go of her now, and was grinning eagerly as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"That's victory enough for me!"

"Good." Mihoko said, turning away pointedly.

At that moment, there was a rustling, and Shino appeared, Sho and Emiko behind them. Emiko waved regally at them all.

"Hello there," they grinned, striding in confidently and weaving their way through the gravestones to sit in the middle.

"Woah, an actual graveyard," Emiko shuddered. "This is kinda creepy."

"I know, right?" Sho exclaimed. "Why on earth is this even here? How did I not know that this place existed?"

"Because, _Nakajima-sempai_ …" Shino teased. "You've got so much more to learn about sneaking around the school."

Sho simply laughed, and as he exchanged greetings, and some names and pronouns with everyone, he nabbed one of the sandwiches that Keiko was offering. Shino also took one, but Emiko declined. They spent the next few minutes chatting as Yuna arrived next, and then Hana, before finally Kumori arrived, rushed and breathless.

"I do apologise…." He said breathlessly. "The traffic this morning was simply quite…."

"It's fine, it's fine," Mizuki waved him off. "Come sit down."

Kumori did so, choosing to sit with Yuna and Keiko, the latter of whom (predictably) offered him a sandwich. He declined, but did drink water from a bottle he had with him. Mizuki looked around at everyone, then got up and reseated herself somewhere that she could see everyone properly.

"Alright then, let's begin. Thank you all for coming. I'm sure you know why we're here, so I won't summarise all of that again. But we should go over what we now about the consequences. At the moment, it's just threats, though I know some punishments have been put in place, and the final ones are to be announced this morning in assembly. Kagane-sempai mentioned something while we were all waiting, would you like to tell everyone else?"

"First, Teranaga-Chan, you must call me Kaneda, or at least Kaneda-sempai. But yes, I can fill you all in…"

Kaneda then went on to summarise what he had heard, with Kumori backing him up.

"There's also been another of students who have been threatened with expulsion if they complain about the destruction of their personal property, and a number simply told off for attempting to call emergency services," Kaneda added. "I myself was told off for calling in my parents, since they are of course, as you know, in the police."

"What happened then?"

"They were prepared to take the issue to their superiors, but once they were persuaded that nobody had died or was seriously injured, or wanting to press charges, they decided not to. Especially as it would also mean that my fees would be kept the same."

"Fees kept the same?" Minah asked. "What do your fees have to do with anything?"

"That seems to me like they're going to increase our fees as a punishment." Mokomichi said.

"What? But that's….." Yuna stuttered.

"Yes, that is ridiculous." Mizuki agreed. "I will be checking that and talking to them. I may also possibly be able to counter that for the less-well off of you all, though of course you are all vouched for, so hopefully…but, Sawada-san, you'll help if this fee-increase punishment ends up occurring, won't you?"

"Yes!" Azuki hissed. "But you know, that's not even what I'm worried about right now."

"Oh? What are you worried about, Sawada-kun?" Keiko asked, concerned.

Azuki opened his mouth to speak, but then paused. Mizuki studied him, carefully. He had been a mess yesterday, twitchier and jumpier than she'd ever seen him. And she could not blame him. The advisors did not typically make themselves visible to the students unless the situation (or their talents) called for it.

"Sawada-san, shall I tell them for you?"

Azuki slumped, and closed his eyes for a moment, mouthing 'pleased' in exhausted gratitude as he leaned more fully against the tree that he was next to. Mizuki swept another look over the group, and then recounted the story to them.

"Holy shit, that's insane." Was Sho's response.

"But you know, it isn't surprising." Shino said. "That is just what this school is like, you know. They care only about talent, and maintaining this view that it's like, the most important thing in the world."

"But I don't really understand. I mean, it fits with what the security guards did, and with Kaneda-sempai getting into trouble for alerting his parents. But…"

"It's because of the centenary, I think." Mizuki said grimly.

"It is indeed."

"Psh, exactly, it's gotta be because of the centenary," Emiko scoffed. "It's this bi-wait a moment, who said that?!"

Mizuki vaguely registered Emiko and everyone else turn to look where she was looking, in astonishment, at the sight of Sosuke Mori standing by the trees, watching them all. He looked calm, but mildly curious, as he pushed up his glasses and critically observed them all. Something akin to dread churned in her stomach, but she kept looking at him as evenly as she could, until he finally, finally spoke.

"What, may I ask, is happening here?"


	16. Game-Changers

"What, may I ask, is happening here?"

"What are you doing here?"

This spluttered question-to-a-question came from Sho, who looked absolutely gormless with astonishment. Somehow, it did not surprise Sosuke that the Pilot was here. He certainly seemed the sort to push boundaries, and a clandestine meeting in the woods would be right up his street, Sosuke was sure. Although…

… _this isn't just the woods, is it?_ Sosuke looked around, noting the small rounded gray stones affixed into the ground at roughly regular intervals, the flowers lying somewhere near to them. _This is a graveyard? What in the world?_ But Sosuke couldn't allow himself to get distracted by that, so he returned to sizing up the group. To his surprise, there were more than 10 gathered here, a mixture of Reserve and Main. There was Sho as he'd already noted, and Mizuki, who he had followed. Then there were the blond boy and curly haired girl who were her TEP students.

Asides from them, the ones he recognised were Keiko (naturally, as they were classmates, though it was rather strange to see her here of all places), Minah, Yuna and Azuki (the former did not surprise him, the second did, and he was not quite sure what to make of the latter). Then, to his surprise, there was his own TEP, Mihoko. Sure, she was sitting slightly apart (much like Azuki was) and she didn't look very interested in whatever Mizuki had been saying before he'd arrived. But all the same, she was there.

"I would like an answer to my question, first. Sakurai-san?" he asked.

"Why me?" Mihoko asked tiredly. "I didn't organise this."

"Then, Teranaga-san?"

"We're not doing anything wrong, you know!" a Reserve Course student called out.

Sosuke simply gave him-a good looking boy with a bright streak of green through his hair-an even but cold look, and returned his attention to Mizuki, clearly the ringleader.

"Kagane-san is right. We are not doing anything wrong. We're simply trying to fix what's wrong with the school. "

"There is nothing wrong with the school." Sosuke replied automatically.

"Oh, really now?" Mizuki said. "Then explain to me why the riots happened. Explain to me, why we are avoiding the police so desperately even though this is precisely the situation for them. Explain to me why it is alright to disproportionately punish a whole group of people simply because of their location in the school, when it hasn't even been confirmed they have done anything. Explain to me why we are standing in a graveyard that nobody else in this school knows about because the school don't want it to interfere with people's talent."

"You know why we don't want to involve the police, Teranaga-san. We have discussed this."

"Yeah, so you don't look bad during your oh-so-precious centenary, am I right?"

This came from Mokomichi, the blond boy who was Mizuki's TEP. He didn't sound particularly angry, but there was a challenging tilt to his head, a spark in his eyes as he looked at Sosuke. _So, she told them about the Student Council meetings. I should not be surprised really._

"Well done, spectacles, you just illustrated everything that is wrong with the school."

This smug statement came from a girl with a beret who he was fairly sure was Reserve Course, but happened to be wearing brown.

"My name is Sosuke Mori, if you wanted to know, I'm the SHSL Judicidal Scrivener, and I am in Class 98A . What is yours?"

"Shino. Class 1A. They/them. I'd say nice to meet you, but it really isn't."

"Likewise." Sosuke said, before realising what he had just said. Sho and Mihoko had clearly realised, for they both smirked, but he decided to ignore them and pretend that it hadn't happened.

"So, you work with the law, then?" the green-streak boy ( _Kagane_ , Sosuke remembered) asked.

"I do indeed."

"Then _why_? How could you be supportive of this?" he asked.

"The justice system has better things to be concerning itself with. Hope's Peak is more than powerful enough to manage disturbances."

"Hah, well, we'll see about that." Shino said triumphantly.

"And whatever do you mean by that?" Sosuke asked them inquiringly, somehow instinctively feeling that now they were getting to the heart of why they were there.

"This school is going to go _down."_ This came from a female student, and now he was looking at her properly he couldn't believe he hadn't recognised Emiko _Shishikane_ , of all people. She clearly took after her mother, physically speaking.

"Not down, necessarily." This came from a long-haired Reserve Course boy. "But we are going to try and improve the school and make it change, right, Teranaga-sama?"

"Right," Mizuki said. "As much as Hope's Peak has been an impressive part of history, it needs to change. And with help, I am going to push for that to happen. I don't want Hope's Peak to close down. We've been hurt a lot by it, but Hope's Peak has and still does good, so I do want it to be able to keep going."

"Whereas I would be happy to see it go down forever but you know, this is better than nothing." Shino remarked.

"Yes, that is what we're aiming for. To improve Hope's Peak, basically." The long-haired boy interjected.

"Though, if it does need to close, then that isn't something I can ignore." Mizuki said.

"What makes you think you can overturn Hope's Peak?" Sosuke asked. Despite himself, he was incredibly curious.

"What makes you think we can't?"

This, to his surprise, came from Mihoko. He studied her carefully.

"I did not take you for someone so…revolutionary."

"I suspect there's a lot of us you didn't take for being much of anything."

"You'd probably be right," Shino said. "But, that doesn't matter. Because one way or another, we are going to do this. And since you're here, and you know all…."

Technically, Sosuke did not 'know all' right now. But he did know enough to get them all into serious, serious trouble if he deemed it to be appropriate to do so.

 _But do I deem it appropriate?_ Sosuke looked around at the group in front of him, carefully noting the expressions on their faces. They all looked oddly resolute, even Yuna and Keiko.

"Look, Mori-sempai," Minah said suddenly, appeasingly. "If we could be honest and open, we would. We're not planning on anything criminal, bu-"

 _Oh, aren't you?_ But Sosuke suspected Minah really believed it, and so he continued to listen.

"But, sometimes you have to go against what is deemed 'correct' to do what is really right, isn't that true?"

"Hear, hear!" Kagane cheered.

"Exactly. I am, of course, going to involve you all with what I'm openly doing, but…what are you going to do now, Mori-san?"

Sosuke returned Mizuki's challenging gaze with one of his own. Somehow, he knew that going against her was the last thing he needed. She-and the others-would get into some trouble, but the grief he'd get would not be worth it. But it was not even that which kept him here. No, it was the resolute words they had given, the utter confidence they had in going up against the mighty establishment Hope's Peak was. The look in their eyes as they stated it. It was foolish, surely.

Yet, at the same time, Sosuke wondered about what would happen if by some miracle, they did get what they wanted. It would change the world, for sure. And anyone capable of changing the world surely had immeasurable power. If this group turned out to be those world-changers, then…

… _I want in._

"I will stay. If you do not mind, that is."

"What?!"

This exclamation came from at least five people, including Azuki, who had barely even looked at Sosuke since his initial surprise at his arrival.

"I….if you really want to. " Mizuki said eventually.

"Well, want is a strong word. But I am willing to have my mind changed. So?"

"Well…yes. Come in then."

So Sosuke did, and secretly smiled in satisfaction as he went to sit down next to Mihoko, who gave him an incredulous look, but shuffled over obligingly all the same.

 _And now, I am in._

 **…**

 _Well this is an intriguing development_ , Sho thought as he watched Sosuke sit down. He would never have thought that his uptight senior would want to have his 'mind changed'. _I guess people really are surprising. Including me, actually._ Of course, he wasn't going to bring that up now, so instead he just exchanged a grin with Shino and Emiko, who both grinned back.

"So, what have you been discussing?" Sosuke asked.

"Well, as you clearly heard, we have been discussing how Sawada-san has been threatened." Mizuki said darkly. "We've also been talking about the potential punishments that the Reserve Course are going to suffer."

"They're not yoinking the TEP, which I'm sure you're thankful for." Azuki said bitterly to Sosuke.

"Yes, well. The TEP is as much for us as it is for you, so where would the benefit be in that?"

"Gee, and here's me thinking that it was to improve relations between the Main and Reserve Course." Emiko muttered.

"Isn't that a point we could use when protesting?"

All eyes turned to Keiko, who seemed to shrink into herself slightly ( _a remarkable feat, considering_ , thought Sho) as she blushed. But she still looked at them firmly, and elaborated.

"The Principals have been pushing that they want the two courses to get along better, right? Wasn't it one of their priorities? But perhaps the events of the last week have put pressure on them and they haven't thought of that? So maybe they need to be reminded….I wouldn't know though, really. It was just an idea."

"No, that makes sense to me." Mizuki said.

"Yeah, that's some smart thinking, sempai!" Sho said.

"Oh, it was nothing, really."

"No, no, it was something. Thank you, Usui-sempai." Mizuki emphasised. "It's something we can add to the debate. But now we need specific points to counter the possible punishments. Such as the increased fees, for instance. I'm hoping that it isn't true-"

"It is. Or rather, it is being thought of. The Student Council-yourself excepted, obviously-have been pushing for that. But I have been editing the speech for today's assembly, so I can push for that to be restricted to any main 'culprits' that are found during an investigation."

"I thought the point of your blanket punishments was to avoid the police." Shino said sarcastically.

"An internal investigation."

"Oh, yes, of _course_."

Shino's roll eye was so exaggerated that Sho thought he could _hear_ it. He leaned back as the conversation included.

"Yes, well, I would like to look at that speech myself and make my own modifications. I will take them to the Principals myself if need be." Mizuki said.

Sho could tell that Sosuke clearly didn't like the idea of someone looking over his precious, precious speech, but he acquiesced with a simple nod.

"What about the expulsions?" The boy next to Mizuki asked. "What's the story with that? Are people really being expelled at random?"

"It has been hard to pin down who was responsible for instigating the riots, or who had the largest role in the destruction when it happened. So the school is making an example of those people, essentially."

"Is it really that hard to find out who did it?" Emiko asked. "Don't you have security cameras? Hope's Peak has all these precious talents, wouldn't you expect them to put investment in protecting them?"

"The grounds of Hope's Peak have always been safe." Yuna piped up unexpectedly. "Well, until now, I suppose. But we do have cameras inside the school, right….?"

"Yeah, you're right." Minah said. "That seems like a massive oversight to me."

 _A very useful oversight for sneaking around and doing sneaky things. But also not useful in situations like this, I guess._

"Honestly the thing that fucking disturbs me the most is that it's being covered up like some conspiracy," Azuki said. "I mean, it sounds like other people actually had their things destroyed so they wouldn't call their parents, let alone the police? Like, hello, does that not seem a little fishy?"

"That could have been the overzealousness of the security guards, I think." Minah said. "Principal Naegi and Deputy Principal Hinata-"

"It's Principal." Mizuki cut Minah off, unexpectedly icy. And unexpectedly, period. _I thought those two were buddies._

"I…I'm sorry?"

"Principal Hinata is as much of a Principal as Principal Naegi is." Mizuki repeated, glaring. "I'm sick of people casually making him less significant."

 _Huh. I didn't know that._ Sho looked over at Emiko, and pulled a face at her. She just smiled at him and turned to watch the exchange.

"I've been using the wrong form of address all this time?" Minah gasped. "I am so sorry. I honestly didn't realise. I just heard everyone else around me and…I'll remember that now, Teranaga-san. Sorry."

"I've been using it all this time too, I'm so ashamed." Yuna said. "That was incredibly disrespectful of me."

Mizuki looked angry for a moment longer, and then softened.

"I suppose you can't be blamed for assuming." She conceded. "But, I don't think Principal Hinata would have condoned the security guards acting as they did. I was so concerned with punishments I didn't even think of pointing that out, but I am su-"

"Oh, are you sure now? Really?"

Sho stared in surprise at Shino, who no longer had a slight smirk on their face, and instead gazed intently at Mizuki.

"Yo, what's up with you?"

Sho, much to his disappointment, was ignored. He pouted, but that too was ignored, so he quickly refocused on what was going on.

"I don't understand."

"Are you really sure that 'Principal' Hinata is going to care about the suffering of Reserve Course students? After everything you've seen."

"Well, he and Principal Naegi are under stress, and they have the advisors-"

"Oh, excuses, excuses."

"Oh my goodness, just spit it out!" Azuki burst out.

Shino flicked a sideways glance at Azuki for a moment.

"Do you know what is significant about the year 2010?"

Sho had absolutely no idea, and just waited.

"Uhh….." Azuki seemed as baffled as Sho. "The Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland?"

"The earthquake in Haiti?" Yuna asked. "Or that volcano in Iceland that erupted? The UK coming out of recession? A number of different plane crashes? The Manila hostage crisis? The bombardment of Yeonpyeong?"

"Some old porn star joined Twitter and made Chinese fans go mad?" Mihoko interjected, making everyone stare at her.

 _Huh, who would have thought it?_ Sho thought as he regarded the blue-haired Reserve Course girl with some amusement.

Yuna spluttered at that, and everyone looked at _her_ instead. She went bright red.

"Yes, _that_ happened, but why would you make a big deal about it?" Yuna wanted to know.

"I…didn't?" Mihoko said. "Okay, so it's probably not the best 2010 factoid, but their question baffled me. It's the best I could come up with on the spot. More to the point, how'd you know those facts that you spouted out?"

"I read a lot." Yuna said, lifting her chin slightly and looking defensive.

"Frankly both your answers are weird."

This came from the Reserve Course boy who was by Mizuki's side. Well, sort of by Mizuki's side. Sho couldn't quite put his finger on what made him feel like it was not quite as simple as them sitting side by side, but it intrigued him. In any case, the boy went mostly ignored by everyone, but Sho flashed a look at him and winked. The boy stared and then gave a self-depreciating grin. _I like this guy._ Sho made a mental note to get to know him better later on, once they were done here.

"And so do I," Mizuki said, bringing Sho's attention back to the rather interesting matter at hand.

"But that's a vague question even so. What are you getting at?"

Shino smirked at Mizuki, and leaned forward, propping their chin on their hand, which in turn was resting against one of the gravestones. Despite the smirk arranging their features into a smile, there was nothing warm or friendly about it.

"So I take it none of you have ever heard of 'The Parade'."

"No…."quite a few of them said.

"I've been to parades before." Kumori – _at least, that is the dude's name, right?-_ offered earnestly after a moment of silence.

"Oh no no no, I'm talking about 'The Parade', that took place right here, in 2010, when Naegi and Hinata were students." Shino said. "Which, of course, was not a parade at all."

 _Oh-ho? This is intriguing._ Sho racked his brains for any long-ago event that could fit the description that Shino had given, but he was no expert in Hope's Peak history.

"Then what _was_ it?" Mizuki asked in frustration.

Shino's smirk became wider.

"A riot."

In the silence that followed, even with the sounds of the breeze and leaves that punctuated it, Sho was convinced that if someone actually had the idea of dropping a pin into it, the sound would be heard. _Well, that's not what I expected to hear. Full of mysteries, Hisakawa-chan, aren't you?_ But what interested him more was that Mizuki looked a little grey as she processed this information.

"That's ridiculous."

"No it is not," Shino said. "You just don't know about it because it got covered up. It was a much, much bigger riot. They actually got into the Main Course building, and people died. That list of names you're trying to pull together to make stones for? There's an unusually large amount of people from 2010, yes?"

"Make your point."

Mizuki sounded like she was spitting stones, and her mouth had hardened into a thin line, but still Shino smirked. _Oh, you're taunting her,_ Sho thought with amusement. _And it seems to be working._

"Well, I know there would be. Because every single one of them, every last one, they died in this riot. And what do you think Hope's Peak did? Why, they covered it up. Got rid of the damage real quick, threatened all the families to keep it quiet, even paid off some funeral costs as an incentive-soooo nice of them, huh?"

Shino laughed bitterly at that, and looked distant for a moment, but shook their head and continued.

"Everyone else, who hadn't died, Main or Reserve, had to keep it quiet, but only the Reserve Course were threatened. The country's best lawyers at the time helped them, as did other alumni. And anything that couldn't be hidden-they downplayed it, wrote it off as a 'disturbance'. And they called it 'The Parade' to obscure exactly how bad it was. And our principals, your precious 'Principal Hinata' and 'Principal Naegi', what about them?"

Sho held his breath. The others around him seemed just as rapt.

"They're not mi-"

"They were there," Shino answered coldly, cutting Mizuki off. "They were students in 2010, so they would have experienced 'The Parade' themselves. Hinata more than likely lost classmates of his in it. Perhaps he even lost friends. And perhaps he cannot be blamed for keeping quiet back then, when he was powerless. But now? What excuse is there now?"

"I…." Mizuki opened her mouth, and closed it again, before reattempting. "I…."

"Hisakawa-Chan….." Keiko started.

"Now, now, there is no need for that." Kaneda said.

Shino, however, ignored the both of them.

"There is none, whatever you come up with," Shino said. "The truth is, that if they cared one whit, then they would have brought The Parade back into memory, and more importantly, they would have acted a lot differently with this riot. But in the end, they're just as tied to the illusion that this school likes to promote as the rest of the world is. They're not special, or different, just because Hinata was once one of us."

Again, a silence, as Mizuki stared stonily at Shino. Sho realised that if he looked at her closely, she was shaking. Shino, on the other hand, was utterly calm, even as they sneered.

"Aw, what's wrong, can't handle hearing the truth about your precious principals?"

"Hisakawa-Chan, that's _enough_!" Keiko said eventually. "We should be on the same side!"

"Fine by me, I've made my point." Shino said simply, leaning back. "Haven't I, Teranaga?"

"You're wrong. I don't doubt that something could have happened like this. But you're wrong, about them not caring." Mizuki responded through gritted teeth. "But let's focus on the riot of the present."

"Sounds like an idea to me." Emiko said, almost flippantly. "So, Mori-Chan, what else have you got for us from this speech of yours?"

Sosuke raised an eyebrow at being addressed in such a familiar way, but simply nodded.

"The same restrictions you were under after the destruction of the statues will remain in place. There will also be restrictions on any extracurriculars. Which is to say, they will all be temporarily suspended. The only things you may attend are study sessions for exams, if you are in your final year, or anything to do with the Talent Exchange Program."

"No." the pretty girl with the flower in her hair breathed, at the same time as Shino and Emiko both burst out:

"You cannot be serious!"

"I am, yes."

"That's _bullshit_." Shino said empathetically.

"There's no need for such strong language…."

"We have strong feelings, of course there's excuse!" Emiko shot back.

"Come on, we're all on the same side here, right?" Kaneda said hurriedly, waving his hands around wildly in what Sho assumed was an appeasing gesture but just looked, well, a little mad.

"Yes, yes, exactly." Kumori agreed. "I know we're all bringing different opinions to this, but…"

A sudden rustling caused all of them to stop dead. Everyone stared at each other, agog, before Emiko whispered dramatically.

"What…what was that?" she asked.

Everyone, oddly, looked to Mizuki, who simply stared in the direction of the sound and held a finger to her mouth. Kaneda got up and stalked towards it, slowly, assuming a battle pose of sorts. There was a little more rustling, a bush move, and then…

…a small cat appeared.

Instantly, a good few of them burst out laughing-Sho included. His heart was still hammering though, and he took a few gulping breaths as he chortled. _Certainly was not expecting that!_

"A cat? What the hell?" Azuki asked.

"Oh, thank goodness. " Keiko breathed, putting a hand to her chest. "I thought we'd be in serious trouble."

"Same!" Minah agreed.

"Oh, but he's so cute. Where'd he come from?" the girl with the flower in her hair asked.

The cat, of course, offered no answers. It simply stood there and mewled quizzically. It looked rather thin, and its white fur, though long, was clearly matted. Probably a stray, though how and why it'd ended up here of all the places made no sense to Sho.

"Who knows?" Emiko asked, already making a beeline for the cat. "Here, kitty, kitty, heeeerreeeee."

To everyone's surprise, the cat seemed more than happy to oblige, padding along and allowing Emiko to scoop it up.

"Oh, you are just a precious thing, aren't you? Don't you worry, I'll take you home and get you scrubbed up."

"Wait, you're keeping it?" Sho asked.

"Of course I'm keeping it!" Emiko pouted, looking affronted as she stroked the cat.

"Have you ever even kept a cat before?"

"No….but, who cares? I'll figure it out."

"Um….I could help, maybe."

Emiko stared at the flower girl with some interest.

"Oh you could, could you?"

"Y-yeah. I have a cat. One a bit like that one, actually. Her name is Misty. So I know…"

"Oh, brilliant! We're so having a tea date in that case…what's your name?"

"Hana Otsuki."

"Otsuki-Chan! Oh yes, you are so definitely coming to my house to help me in that case."

Poor Hana looked absolutely bowled over, and simply nodded. Sho smirked.

"You can't keep calling it 'it' though," Kaneda said. "That's just mean. Whatcha going to call it then?"

"Trouble." Mihoko suggested.

"Snowy?" Sho asked.

"Da Vinci?"

"Pickle."

"Tama."

"But, like, every cat in the world is called that! Let's flip it on its head and go with Mata."

"No, that's terrible."

"What about Fluffy?"

"Yuki?Miko?Nao?"

"Ruru? Or Lulu if we're going English-y."

"Misaki?"

"Doughnut?"

"Doughnut?! What sort of name is that?"

"Why isn't anyone questioning 'Da Vinci'?"

The suggestions went on for a while, to the point that eventually nobody could really tell who had suggested what, but in the end they had arrived at a decision: Greg.

"So now we can get back to buisness then?" Mizuki asked, seeming a little peeved, even though she was smiling at the cat and the fuss it was generating.

"Yeah, sure." Sho grinned.

"I think we should focus more on how we might deal with the situations, rather than keep going around in circles over the potential punishments." Mizuki said. "Sawada-san is already going to use his vlogging to do some work about changing views, like getting more honest opinions on the history on the school. He's going to have to tread carefully, especially considering the threats he received, but yes, that's one thing we're doing, in addition to some combined work we'll be doing around the building, and fees, and the school condition."

"You were also talking about us mixing more with each other." The boy next to her piped up.

"Yes, yes. That was more a general mixing thing, beyond our TEPs-I think most of us are on the programme, save for Sawada-san?"

"I'm not." Keiko said, putting her hand up.

"Oh, aren't you? Well, fair enough." Mizuki quickly managed to cover her very clear surprise. "But we do need to lead by example. But now the possibility of Reserve Course extracurriculars being axed has come up, I think those of us on the Main Course need to be more proactive in inviting them to our own clubs, and perhaps also creating opportunities for them."

"Done right, it could be dressed up as being towards Talent Exams, or otherwise developing your Talent, am I right?" Sosuke asked.

"Well, yes, but I'd hope that wasn't the main reason for doing so." Mizuki said stiffly after a moment.

"Naturally." Sosuke said, just a little too smoothly.

"Alright, well…what ideas do you all have?"

There was a moment, and then Kumori spoke up.

"What about….?"

 **…**

If this had been a meeting, a proper meeting with a boardroom and an agenda and people taking minutes or whatever it was people did at those proper, buisnessy type meetings, Sho imagined that they would have all ended up with a bullet-point list of notes, something along the lines of:

 _-Mizuki Teranaga and Azuki Sawada will continue with their charity and philanthropic works that are directly benefitting the Reserve Course, but will also work on videos that aim to give a more realistic view of Hope's Peak and how it could change, while still being positive. Mizuki Teranaga will also work on the graveyard and making it known to the rest of the school population._

 _-All of the present members who are in the Main Course will endeavour to make the school as welcoming to the Reserve Course students as possible, including making their extracurriculars as open as possible. Use TEP as starting points for this? Perhaps multiple TEP groups could team up for projects?_

 _-All members will make efforts to openly mix with those of the other course in general._

 _-Evidence of Reserve Course mistreatment will be collected and logged, including Azuki Sawada's video evidence of the riots._

 _-Reserve Course students will do their best to be involved in events such as the upcoming Izuru Kamukura Birthday Party in June, to show what they are made of._

 _-Until efforts reach an appropriate stage for a public unveiling, the work the group (unnamed as of now) will remain under wraps as far as is possible, for convenience and safety._

"And I think that covers it," Mizuki said, rounding off the list of points that she had made and Sho had mentally bullet-pointed. "Anything I missed?"

"How will we keep in touch with each other?" Mihoko asked.

"Oh, yes, that's an important. Surely Electro-ID or some-"

"Oh, no, no, I have something much better!" Emiko exclaimed eagerly. "Have any of you ever heard of the messaging app 'Shh!' before?"

"Nooooooo…" Sho and a few others said.

"Oh, I have!" Shino said, unexpectedly. "You suggesting we download that and communicate through that?"

"Yes!" Emiko said.

"Alright!" Shino grinned.

"What is this…Hush?" Kumori asked.

"SHH!" Emiko corrected it him, being loud with it, ironically enough.

"It's basically an encrypted, incognito messaging app that you can even disguise to look like something completely innocuous. It can't be found if someone hacks into your phone, or if police want to look into it, or anything." Shino explained. "Perfect for our little covert operation here, huh?"

"Sounds a little overkill to me," Mokomichi said. "But I'm in."

"Yeah, that sounds cool, man!" Sho exclaimed.

"Yes, I am fine with it, if everyone else is." Mizuki said after a moment of frowning over it.

With varying degrees of enthusiasm, everyone agreed to it, and so Emiko and Shino set about helping everyone set up the app on their phone, while Greg the cat padded around and meowed, watching everything with interest. Sho bounced restlessly, watching as Emiko fiddled with his phone and seemed to dig right into his phone's app store into collections he'd never seen before. Eventually, he was presented with a green-bordered screen with tabs for 'chats' and 'account settings'.

"Use that second one to help you set up your username and all that jazz, and a passcode of some sort."

"Speaking of usernames, it'd probably be useful if we all used something that would be easily recognisable, considering some of us have only just met." Mizuki said as she tapped at her phone for a moment.

There were a few more moments as everyone got used to 'Shh!', and then Mizuki looked around at all of them as she stood up.

"We will leave it at that. Mori-san and I have to deal with the assembly, so I'll reach out to you on our new chat group to discuss when we will meet next. Until then, keep safe, and I will see you when I see you."

"Sure thing."

Once again, it looked like things had taken a turn for the intriguing. And once again, Sho wondered where he'd end up next. But wherever it was, and whenever it was, he knew only one thing- _I cannot wait_.

 **…**

Though she did not ignore any of her classmates shouted out farewells as they all packed up and left for the end of the day, she didn't pay them much attention as she scurried out. Today, more than ever, she wanted to be out of there. Not just because any escape was good, but because she would not be going home.

"See ya later, Otsuki!"

"Yeah, see you later, fellow cat girl!"

Hana spun around, startled, to see that Emiko and Shino were also in the courtyard, though not heading to the gate like she was. They both grinned at her, and it seemed genuine, but…. _One of them's a Shishikane, if anything, she would have experienced that sort of thing more than you! Besides, aren't we all connected now…?_ The thought ofthe events of the morning made Hana's stomach churn, but she tried to ignore it. _Perhaps this might mean we'll be friends, somewhere down the line…_

Still, the most she could muster was a polite nod, smile and a hand raised in an imitation of a wave before she kept on. In any case, they had been far enough that stopping to converse wasn't necessary. And she was glad for that, because finally, finally…

Hana could barely bite back the smile as she joined the streams of students flowing out of the gate, and turned in the other direction. Heading to the high street, she entered a café she had come to know quite well since starting at Hope's Peak, and waited as patiently as she could in the queue so she could order a strawberry milkshake and a thin slice of cake (only thin, because she knew she'd be eating more later on).

"Oh hello, it's you again! Strawberry milkshake and sponge-cake?" The barista at the counter asked cheerfully, recognising her.

"Yes please." Hana nodded, already counting out the correct amount of money from her purse.

"And I take it you will be off to change?" the barista asked, nodding at her uniform.

"That's right. Could you-"

"Keep your order safe for you until you come back? Not a problem, sweetie."

"Thank you very much."

Hana paid for her order, then quickly went to the customer toilets, shrugging off her constricting black uniform and pulling on her crop jeans and sleeveless pink blouse on, swapping the school shoes and socks for her blue paw-print socks and grey trainers and then putting her scarf and charm bracelet on after she was out of the cubicle and had made sure her hair was still neat. Then, she washed her hands, and went back out into the café. Picking up her order and politely thanking the barista, she went and sat at an empty table by the window, and worked through the drink and cake as fast (but, naturally, as carefully) as she could, before taking her empty glass and plate up to the counter and quickly ducking out.

Purposefully, without needing to think too much about it, she continued walking down the street, and then crossed over and walked down another street before she was at the park she had been heading towards. There was a tree whose blossom had appeared late near to the park gateway, and just as she walked through, a breeze shook some of those flowers off, and a few petals landed in her hair. She brushed the petals out, only to pull out an intact flower. She paused on the path, oblivious to the people behind her who had to walk around, and then after a moment tucked the flower in next to the flower on her own fascinator, before continuing across to the park's grassy area.

She sat down on the first bench she found, and waited. She watched as girls her age giggled and boys lounged around, as old men read newspapers and little kids ran around gleefully, the very youngest watched by mothers but the rest independent and free. And all the time, she looked for one very particular brunette. And, then, finally, she saw him, walking across the park. Fighting the urge to spring up and run straight towards him, she just waited, prepared to wave and call out if he didn't immediately spot her. But he did, and she could tell when he did, because even from across the park she could see his eyes light up, and that smile of his intensify as he picked up his pace and came to her.

"Riku!" she said, standing up as he approached.

"Hana, my flower!" Riku said, putting down his own bag and the parcel he was holding to hug her.

Hana returned the hug, and then laughed as suddenly, she was picked up off her feet and Riku spun her around briefly before setting her down again. Hana smiled at Riku as he picked up the parcel and handed it to her with a flourish. _Oh, Riku._ Hana blushed and kept beaming as she accepted the parcel.

"Just a little something I saw in the shops the other day, it made me think of you," he explained, gesturing for her to open it. "But how are you anyway, Flower?"

"Oh, I'm wonderful."

And for that moment, as her worries melted away for that moment, it was true.

* * *

 **The fact that Greg the cat exists at all is thanks to Req, Tobi, Crimsy and Sharky, so thank you very much, all of you, for the random chat on Discord that led to me deciding to make Greg exist, XD**


	17. ED Song 1- Separate

When the song starts, there is at first a blank white screen, but then, coloured lines (grey, blue, chalky pink, shimmery red, a slight off-white that is barely visible, neon purple, orange, inky black, silver, brown, yet another white, bright green, inky blue and gold) start to dart across the page, criss-crossing randomly and gradually forming the colourful outline of the words 'AND SO IT BEGINS', before the line start to retract again. Then, just as the lyrics begin, the camera zooms into a grey line, and starts to follow it as it snakes across and away into some blank space.

 _kizuite ite damatte ita  
kuraimakkusu wa waza to gamashii  
_I did realize it, though I chose to stay silent—  
the climax felt unnatural, like a put-on act.

The grey line joins a blue and a brown one towards a small rectangular picture depicting Mizuki, Mokomichi and Hana at the waterfall in the courtyard, meeting for the first time. The lines go around the picture, bordering it, and then the camera follows the blue line as it keeps going down across the white, leading to a new image of Mokomichi, Mihoko and Kaneda walking across the grass to the graveyard, this picture bordered by inky-blue and bright green lines too. It is the bright green line that is followed this time as it continues across the screen, a chalky pink line soon joining in parallel to border a picture of Kaneda and Minah in the Main Course school gym.

 _kore ijou tsuzuketeku nara_ _  
_ _penarutii ga kaseraremasu  
_ If we're gonna keep this going,  
there'll be a penalty.

A gold line starts to appear across the top of the page, so the camera pans up and to the left, following it to show a picture of Emiko with Shino, grinning at each other in their classroom, before an inky black line that cuts across the gold and white on the right is then followed by the camera to an image of Sosuke looking out of the window.

 _haikei no naka ni mita ogori no  
aru shirabe  
_In the background, we saw: an arrogant tune making its presence known. _  
_

A neon purple line is then followed across the screen, and the ghost of another white line can be seen, but rather than them both bordering a single picture, the neon purple separates from the white halfway across, going slightly upwards to border a picture of Azuki sitting in the canteen, while the white goes downwards and is then joined by a silver line to go around an image that shows Sho waving to Kumori sitting on a bench with Riko (though the girl is rendered blurry in the image, only Sho and Kumori being clear).

 _oshiyoseru konton tadayou no  
wa kokkei na anbiensu  
_An oncoming wave of chaos; hanging in the air is a laughable ambiance

A sparkly red line appears, going alongside the silver line as it tails away, and it goes towards a picture of Kumori and Yuna sitting together in a room. When the sparkly red line continues on its way, the camera keeps following it, as an orange line goes to meet it, and then they border a picture of Yuna and Keiko meeting in the school corridor.

 _saa hayaku fureyou  
odotte mitashite  
_Come, let us touch it.  
Let's dance and satiate ourselves

Suddenly, the whole screen is taken up by the picture of Yuna and Keiko in the school corridor, this time in black and white, and all the pictures are flicked through in quick succession, going all the way back to the one of Mokomichi, Hana and Mizuki, which the camera lingers upon before the chorus starts and the picture melts away.

 _sono kokoro no fukai fukai tokoro de  
kasa o mashite shidaishidai ni  
me o tsuburi aketara moto no mama  
hajime kara owari made nanka  
utsuroi yasuku nagaretan da  
_At the deepest part inside your heart,  
it's been swelling, gradually, gradually.  
But if I were to close my eyes and open them again, everything would be the same as before.  
Somehow, from the very beginning until the end,  
the flow has been so very fickle

The camera starts to zoom out of the picture of Yuna and Keiko and its surrounding lines, gradually revealing the other pictures at other points, all of them connected by lines, and all forming a rough sort of ring around an empty space, all connected by the lines of different colours. As this gradual zooming out happens, the pictures start to become animated, quite literally playing out the scenes.

 _massugu ni misete kuru derikashii  
wakaru darou? mou jiyuu ni shite ii kai_  
A captivating delicacy, simply straightforward  
You do understand, don't you? Won't you let me set you free now?

The white background gradually becomes a brown corkboard pattern, and the lines change subtly to look more like strings, with gold dots appearing at the corners of the pictures, which have become still once more. Then, an unidentified pair of hands sticks up a new picture in the previously empty centre, pressing gold dots-that is to say, pins- in the corners before they disappear, and the picture is revealed to be that of all fourteen cast members sitting in the graveyard.

The camera gradually zooms into the picture, so that it is taking up the whole space. Something about the quality of the look changes, so that it is no longer just 'a picture' but as if the actual scene is being portrayed. The leaves in the trees start to flutter slightly.

 _(nobody cares somehow. you don't know how much.)_

Suddenly, as if aware of being watched, the characters all turn their heads to look directly at the viewer, and it is that image that the camera lingers on for the last few beats before the song ends.

* * *

 **Surprise! Well, some of you may have known that i was planning on making ED songs a thing for this story, but yeah. I'll have about six or seven of these in total across the story, and I will usually upload them alongside an actual chapter because reasons. Anyway, in this case, the song is 'Separate' by Police Piccadilly, and the translations I got from the Vocaloid Wikia, and the song is on the And So It Beings playlist on Tumblr. Also, though this doesn't have much to do with anything, did you know that Police Piccadilly released a new song a couple of days ago? It's called Chaotic Love Revolution, and I love it. Though I think Separate is their best song by far.**

 **Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this sort-of double update!**


	18. Everything The Light Touches

**So, this one is kinda short, but I felt it worked best like this, so yeah. I probably could have uploaded this earlier on as I had prewritten most a while ago, but there were some tweaks to the second scene I needed to make and my life is busy so *shrug*. But it is here now, so, enjoy! Also, b** ** **ig thanks to Sharky for providing me with this chapter's title-I was actually going slightly mad trying to think of one, because like an idiot I forgot to plan a title for this , yeah, thanks :)  
****

* * *

 _Moko(michi): Um, why would he need blackmail money? Isn't he a celebrity?_

 _Azuki: yes thank you this boy talks sense._

 _Emiko ;) : Hey hey, it was just a joke_

 _Kumori Kurogane: So, I was wondering, will we always be meeting in the school graveyard?_

 _Moko(michi): Hmm, that's a good question actually._

 _Keiko Usui: Mhm, I find it a little creepy being there_

 _Shino: why? It's not like there's actual bodies there…..or are there?_

 _Emiko ;): Shinoooooooooooo, no, don't say that_

 _Shino: ;)_

 _Emiko ;) : Don't use my winky face against me!_

 _Shino: Mwahaha_

 _Azuki: but where else would we meet?_

 _Moko(michi): Also a good question._

 _Keiko Usui: I'd say my room, but I'm in the dorms, and I think most of us on the Main Course are._

 _Yunnie: Yes, I am too._

 _Keiko Usui: I believe Kang-san and Mori-kun are, too._

 _Sosuke Mori: That is right._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: I'm not, but yes, you're right. Anywhere in the actual school building probably won't be a safe bet. We need privacy._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: So we can use my flat sometimes, I'm fine with that and Yamashita-kun, Sawada-kun and Otsuki-san all have my address, but I'll individually message it to you_

 _Moko(michi): That works for me, though your place might have trouble fitting, what, all 14 of us?_

 _Mizuki Teranaga: True, but at least it is a start._

 _Sho: yeaaah I'm in dorms too sorry_

 _Sho: what about you reserve course students tho, where're you living_

 _Emiko: My own house_

 _Kumori Kurogane: I am also in my own apartment_

 _Flower: I'm at home._

 _Shino: I live in my own apartment_

 _Kaneda-sempai: I live at home too, but you can always come around!_

 _Sho: sempai that aint gonna work._

 _Kaneda-sempai: Oh, why not?_

 _Azuki: uh, hello, the whole secrecy thing? kinda the most important detail of this entire mess._

 _Shino: and it has a panic room._

 _Sho: haha, oh yeah *sweatdrop*_

 _Sho: i'm sorry, did you just say your apartment has a panic room, hisakawa-chan_

 _Moko(michi): Panic room?_

 _Shino: Yes, my apartment has a panic room. It's pretty spacious, too._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Why?_

 _Shino: Why what?_

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Why does your apartment have a panic room?_

 _Kaneda-sempai: Yes, yes, do tell! =D_

 _Shino: I don't know! It wasn't listed on the specification or blueprints or all that. I just discovered it when unpacking just before school started! The previous owner must have been one paranoid bastard_

 _Sho: question is is the panic room fit for purpose for fifteen paranoid bastards_

 _Sho: i'm jokin about you all being bastards by the way ;) ;)_

 _Azuki: yeah, we figured as much._

 _Sosuke: I think it is fourteen of us._

 _Shino: Geez, don't be such a pedant._

 _Shino: But yeah, its pretty roomy, actually. I mean once we're all in there, there may not be much space for any table it or whatever. But I think it will work for us. After all, better safe than sorry, right?_

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Perhaps we should come to see this panic room first, just to be sure._

 _Kumori Kurogane: Yes, I was just about to suggest that._

 _Yunnie: Isn't a panic room a bit overkill?_

 _Shino: I somehow don't think so_

 _Moko(michi): We've had riots, Sawada got threatened over his video clips, and we're planning to end the school if they don't change. I think a panic room is perfectly proportionate to the situation._

 _Emiko ;) : Hear, hear!_

 _Kaneda-sempai: Hey, let's not argue now, okay?_

 _Moko(michi): I don't think we're arguing._

 _Yunnie: I still do not really understand but I do not mind._

 _Keiko Usui: It's okay, Yorokobi-san._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Shall I message you later, Yorokobi-san?_

 _Yunnie: No, that's alright, thank you._

 _Sho: woah, yorokobi-chan is 'yunnie'?_

 _Yunnie: Yes._

 _Sho:Ohhhhhhhh, cool._

 _Sosuke Mori: Are we going to discuss the matter of Hisakawa-san's panic room?_

 _Kaneda-sempai: Yes, yes, of course! When would be the best time for everyone? What about Golden Week?_

 _Emiko ;): Oh yeah, that is coming up soon!_

Kaneda looked up from his screen to give his eyes a break, and leaned back in his chair. All of this talk on going against Hope's Peak, he wasn't sure he understood it either. The riots had happened, sure, and they were wrong. Completely wrong. He knew that, from the stern way his parents had questioned him to be sure he had not instigated it, to how Kagami had clung to him in a stream of tears when he'd come home that evening. But had there been anything wrong with the school before that? According to these people, there was. And he liked them all, even the ones he'd just met. Especially Minah, his TEP teacher. _If she is concerned, then surely….?_ Kaneda's thoughts were whirring, even more than usual.

He looked over at his school shirt, hanging on the back of his room door, and at the badge pinned to it. _This year was supposed to be a happy year…_ He remembered feeling so excited when he'd walked into the hall and seen all the balloons, and he'd been all over the TEP when it'd been announced. _It doesn't make sense how things could have gone wrong. But it seems likes these guys have the answer, and it does look like they want to make things good again, so…_

Just then, there was a knock on his door, and he sat up.

"Come in!" he called.

The door opened slightly, and his absolute favourite person in the world poked her head around it.

"Onii-chan, are you busy?"

"No, no, come in, Kagami! Have you gone to kyudo practice yet?"

"No, that's this afternoon."

Kagami sidled in, shutting the door behind her, and hopped over to Kaneda. She appeared to be hiding something behind her back.

"Onii-chan, are you going to be studying all of Golden Week?"

"Most of it, I think, and I may have some other engagements, but don't you worry, I can always make time for my lovely little sister! What do you want, hmm?" Kaneda asked jovially, squishing Kagami's cheeks affectionately.

Kagami squirmed but giggled, before wriggling away and revealing what was behind her back-a brightly coloured leaflet, advertising some sort of circus or funfair. Kaneda took it and studied it.

"You want to go to this?" he asked.

Kagami nodded.

"All my friends are away this Golden Week and I don't want to go alone, it'll be boring on my own. I want to go with you!"

 _Golden week, huh?_

"And I would be happy to go with you, so let's fix this…." Kaneda flapped the leaflet around absently as he thought. "So, how about we go on the Monday itself then, yeah?"

"Okay!" Kagami said brightly. "Will you help me with kyudo practice as well?"

"Today?"

"Nooo, Onii-chan, during Golden Week!"

"Oh, Kagami, you know I'm no kyudoka. But of course I'll do my best!"

"Yay, thank you, Onii-chan. See you later!"

"See you later, Kagami!"

Kaneda grinned as Kagami happily left the room. It was good seeing her happy again. He'd hated seeing her cry from worrying about him in the riots. Especially after what she'd already been through.

 _I do not want it to happen ever again. Ever._

He glanced towards his phone, and picked it up again.

 _Mizuki Teranaga: So, either Monday, Thursday or Friday afternoon. When Kagane-kun is back on, and when Sakurai-san and Kang-san are online, let's ask them, then if we're not online at the time message me or Hisakawa-san so we know._

 _Kaneda-sempai: Teranaga-chaaaan, I told you, call me Kaneda! Or Kaneda-sempai, whatever._

 _Sho: shes older than you though right?_

 _Shino: Oh who cares? Honorifics are so stuffy!_

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Kaneda-kun, then._ _When during Golden Week would you like to meet at Hisakawa-san's panic room?_

 _Kaneda-sempai: Thursday or Friday, please. I have a prior engagement on Monday._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: That is fine!_

 _Mihoko: Just read everything, I'm going home for some of Golden Week but I would be back for Friday_

 _Sosuke Mori: Alright, so then it is Kang-san we need to check in with, yes?_

 _Moko(michi): It seems like it._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Perfect._

 _Kaneda-sempai: I am going to return to my studies now. Let me know what's arranged, yeah?_

 _Sho: sure thing sempai!_

 _Mizuki Teranaga: See you later._

Kaneda locked the screen of his phone, then spun his chair around to face his desk, before opening his textbook again, and getting to work.

 **…**

Right at this moment, Mizuki hated herself.

" _Principal Hinata, you were a student here around 2010, right?"_

" _Principal Naegi and myself were, yes. I was in second year, whereas he was in first. Why do you ask, Teranaga-san?"_

" _I…." Mizuki bit her lip, ready to push out the question, but instead:_

" _You've been connected to the school for a long time, right? You must have seen it change a lot."_

" _Yes, indeed. And now, at this turning point, it will change even more."_

" _For the better?"_

" _Well, that is what I am hoping."_

She'd had the perfect moment to confront him right there about The Parade, to ask him how he felt, how he had been involved, if at all. Why he never talked about it. She had been gearing up to confront him as well, and it shouldn't have been a problem. It was just another thing to talk about, and it was not as if she hadn't dicussed 'controversial' things in relation to Hope's Peak before. But…

" _Aw, what's wrong, can't handle hearing the truth about your precious principals?"_

Shino's taunt circled around her head, probably because it was right. She didn't know how she would feel if it did turn out that Principal Hinata had lived through The Parade and had forgotten it, whether that forgetting was forced or voluntary. The riots she had seen had been less severe, and so much more short-lived than what The Parade had apparently been, but she could not imagine ever forgetting-

"And I won't. I won't forget." She muttered to herself as she wandered the grounds with no destination in mind.

 _But it'd be worse if it turned out that he did remember, and just no longer cared. So much worse._ Because what would that mean, for everything she had ever thought about being here? It was not as if it had been perfect-she'd been aware from the start that it wasn't, it was why she was trying to change things in the first place _. But…_

Mizuki stopped, rubbed her face in frustration. _What now? What do I do now?_ There were a great many things she could be doing, but she was beating herself up and Shino's taunts and her fears were circling around, and around, as were the names of all those people who had died in 2010. So helplessly, she kept walking. And gradually, she found herself heading towards the willow tree.

Resigned, she went and sat down underneath it, leaning against the bark and closing her eyes for a moment. _It's not like I can turn back time and change what happened though, can I? Does it matter? No, wait, who am I trying to delude? It matters, because it's clearly informing what's happening now. And if things are going to change, then-_

"Teranaga."

Mizuki opened her eyes to see Mokomichi looming over her, watching her quizzically.

"Yamashita-kun."

"What're you doing there, traitor?"

"I…." Mizuki paused as she took in Mokomichi's face. "You're just teasing me now, aren't you?"

"Maybe. You don't seem the type for mid-afternoon naps under trees. What's up?"

"Nothing."

Mokomichi just stared at her, and Mizuki stared back before sighing. Mokomichi regarded her for a moment, then suddenly straightened up, and went to sit down beside her.

"I think you're lying to me." He told her.

 _Well, I can hardly tell you, can I? You'd just think it's proof of me not caring anymore because I'm on the Main Course now, even if you were only teasing me by calling me traitor just now._

"Well, it's something. But…"

 _But if I can't even admit my fear to you, who I am on the same team with, then how…?_

"Fair enough. I won't bother you then. Take the time you need."

Mizuki gawped as Mokomichi got himself comfortable, and then closed his eyes, as if he was taking a moment to himself too. A few seconds ticked by, but he didn't move or say anything, he just sat there, calmly. With some hesitation, Mizuki returned to leaning against the tree and closing her own eyes.

Some time went by, and every so often, Mizuki would glance to the side, only to see Mokomichi still there, and though she didn't understand, oddly enough, she didn't mind. In some ways, it felt nice. And then one of the times she glanced over, Mokomichi was looking at her, and when their eyes met he gave her a simple nod before closing his eyes again, and suddenly she understood. It was like that time, in the graveyard, before Shino had arrived and shaken everything up. Inexplicable, but comforting. _I've found it again,_ she realised.

"I didn't manage to ask Principal Hinata about 2010." She said, carefully, too carefully.

"Oh, is that so?"

Mizuki glanced over to see that Mokomichi was now studying her very intently. _Maybe I shouldn't have said anything._ But then, Mokomichi shrugged.

"Didn't I say, that you had until the end of the year?"

"What?" Mizuki gawped at him, and then remembered. "Oh."

Mokomichi smirked at that, but he continued to study her, and eventually the smirk softened out into something altogether kinder.

"You've got more important things to be doing anyway."

And said the way he said it, with the gentler expression, it did not feel like the challenge it would no doubt have been at some other time. Instead, it was….

… _yes, I have found it again._

 _But that is why,_ she realised, _I have to make sure I ask._


	19. Golden Week, part 1

"So, Golden Week."

Mizuki listened attentively as Iwasa changed topic.

"I am sure most of you are more than glad to be getting the week off, and I suspect many of you have some fun and interesting things planned with your families and friends. Like with all other schools in the country, there will be no lessons in class that week. The same applies with your lab and studio times, or whatever you have scheduled for your Talent Development Schedule. However, all areas of the school will be open for you to use as you so wish. I would hope that you will take the opportunity to further develop your talents, but I don't need to tell you that. So...who would like to share what they will be doing this Golden Week?"

Iwasa waited expectantly. Mizuki prepared herself to answer, but a smug voice beat her to it.

"I'm going with my Onii-san and the rest of my family to some new restaurants in Hakata. He's reviewing their new fusion menus and seeing how well they can serve a family. Naturally, his magazine will be footing the bill."

"Oh yes, I believe I know the ones you are talking about, Kishitani-san," Iwasa said. "I'm sure your brother will give the reviews the restaurants deserve. "

"Well, of course he will," Sumi Kishitani said with a bored look as she chewed bubble-gum. "He is the SHSL Food Critic, after all."

"And you're just a Lucky Student." Someone muttered.

"Hey, you wanna say that again?" Sumi said threateningly, suddenly no longer looking bored.

"There's no need for that," Mizuki intervened quickly. "We're all classmates here, we shouldn't be putting each other down."

"Yeah, yeah," Sumi said, glowering at Mizuki. "What are you doing this Golden Week? Sucking up to Reserve Course students?"

"Yeah, Rep, what are you doing?"

"Yes yes, do tell!"

"I wanna know too."

Mizuki sighed, and obliged, though she really would have preferred not being goaded into it by an obnoxious classmate.

"I wouldn't say I am doing anything particularly exciting. I am just following up on projects both in and out of school and planning the next steps to make sure all those places are doing what is best for them and what will benefit them the most."

"Well that does sound very productive," Iwasa said. "Are you not taking any free-time for yourself?"

"Well…."

Mizuki thought of the meeting they had all planned for Friday, even though that wasn't particularly free-time, either.

"Well, of course she isn't, she's just a suck-up." Sumi said.

"Excuse me?"

"I would just like to remind you that, however you spend your Golden Weeks, whether it is in or out of Hope's Peak, in or out of the country, you are all representatives of this school in its grand centenary, and as such you are expected to embody those values. Now, who else would like to share their plans?"

As someone else volunteered, Mizuki found herself wondering, _which values? The ones of innovation, creativity, altruism and progress that this place has always been known for, or the so called 'tradition' and 'talent' , the idea that there is 'us' and 'them' and one is better than the other?_ If it was the former, she wasn't so sure those values were being held in the first place. Especially not after everything with the statue and the riots. Riots which would never had happened, if the school had not decided that anything the Reserve Course did was bad and therefore in need of punishment. In the end, the actual punishments themselves probably could have been so much worse, in no part thanks to the intervention she and her group had run, but….

 _I wonder if this is the true punishment. All these feelings we're having, the fact that school has become more tense for us. Perhaps that's what they wanted, all along._ Kaneda had said that over their Shh! chat, somewhat out of the blue. Mizuki wasn't sure she agreed-no matter how they managed to soften things, the Reserve Course were actively suffering. And the fact it gave some of the Main Course an excuse to try and harass those on the Reserve Course…

… _some values._

Quite frankly, it was a relief when finally, the session was over, and they could all go their separate ways to wherever they needed to be next.

 **…**

At lunchtime, Mizuki ended up with Minah and her friends-who she'd since learnt were called Mawa, Leah and Ai-again, and after some debate in the lunch queue, they finally decided that they would go to sit outside to eat.

"Ah, I knew you'd all see reason!" Mawa said happily, a rosy-cheeked picture of cheerfulness.

"You mean get worn down by your pleas." Ai snarked, though she too smiled.

The girls chatted and laughed, and Mizuki smiled. Even if she really had little in common with them (except for Minah), it was nice being around them.

"Ah, I've got too many things in my hands, gimme a moment to sort myself out!" Ai said suddenly.

"Let's stop here for a moment," Minah indicated an empty table just ahead of them. "Then you can sort yourself out, alright?"

So they did just that, and the conversation rattled on, fuelled by Mawa, Ai and Leah. Mizuki partially listened, but found her attention drifting at times, and so it was she found herself looking out at the window that overlooked the courtyard. There were people ambling around, sitting in groups eating, and just-

Mizuki blinked. Sure enough, she had seen what she had just seen- a group of Main Course students, distinctive by their brown blazers, circling a boy in black, somehow managing to look like crows ambushing a sparrow despite the colours being inverted. For a moment, all she could do was stare, and then one of them yanked at the boy's bag, while the others started to push him around.

"I, excuse me, I will be back in a moment."

Mizuki put her food down on the table haphazardly, and ignoring the surprise of her friends, she rushed out.

 **…**

The group had dispersed by the time Mizuki managed to catch up. The clusters of students who had gathered to watch also started to disperse, and though Mizuki tried to shout out at them, she wasn't listened to. It was as if now the fight was over, there was nothing left to care about. She shook her head in annoyance and then turned her attention to the boy whom the Main Course students had been harassing. She knelt down carefully, ignoring the twinge in her back, and started to scoop up his items.

"L-leave them!"

Mizuki stopped and stared at the boy, who was glaring out of tear-misted light brown eyes.

"Leave them!" he repeated. "I don't need your help!"

"Are you sure?" Mizuki asked. "I could try and get you a spare bag, and we need to tell-"

"Hah, no. Like 'telling' is gonna do anything other than just make you feel better about yourself." The boy spat, face twisted bitterly.

"That's no-"

"Look yeah, I don't care. Just….just leave me alone!"

In a sudden motion, the boy grabbed the rest of his things and dumped them in his bag, which he cradled awkwardly in his hands so as to not let the things fall out again, before unsteadily getting to his feet, and rushing away.

Mizuki remained kneeling for a while, still reeling.

 _I wonder if this is the true punishment. All these feelings we're having, the fact that school has become more tense for us. Perhaps that's what they wanted, all along._ Thinking of Kaneda's words again, Mizuki was starting to think that made a whole lot of sense now.

But she didn't want it to.

"Are you alright?"

Mizuki turned to see that Minah had followed her out. With a soft smile, she held out her hand, and Mizuki gratefully took it to help herself get back up again.

"Where are the others?" she asked as she smoothed down her skirt.

"Still waiting, over there." Minah gestured. "Leah-Chan's got your lunch for you. I….sorry I couldn't catch up on time to help you."

"It's fine." Mizuki said. "I don't think that anything could be done anyway."

"Mmm. But is it just going to get worse from here, do you think?" Minah asked as they stared to walk back to where Minah's friends were waiting.

Mizuki pursed her lips as she considered her answer.

"I don't think it's going to get _better_." She eventually concluded. "But in the end, that's why we're here. Right?"

"Yeah."

 **…**

Azuki adjusted his position on his seat, made sure that the red shirt he'd chosen to wear for this video wasn't too crumpled, and smoothed his hair. Absently, he wondered if he should dye it again-maybe gold for Golden Week. _Nah, that's too corny._ But at the same time, he did want a change. Ironic, considering everything felt like it was changing, but then again perhaps that was why…

"Ah, come on, dimwit," he said aloud to himself. "This video ain't going to record itself."

He picked up the camera-a different camera to the one from that day (that one was buried somewhere in his dorm cupboard, so he'd never have to look at it again. The contents were a different story, but he did not wish to think of those either) - that on the desk in front of him. After fiddling with it for a moment, he set it up on the holder jutting out of the wall. Then, he stared at the camera for a long moment, before taking a deep breath, plastering a smile on his face, and pressing 'record'.

"Hey-lo! Your favourite blogger Fumi-kun is here! As you can see, I'm somewhere a little different today, none other than one of Hope's Peak Academy's state-of-the-art recording rooms! Neat, huh? But, of course, that's not what I'm here to show you all today-though, watch this space!"

 _As little as possible, though. Only what's going to be enough to actually do good._ No longer did Azuki want to pander to Hope's Peak inflated ego.

"Instead, I am going to review some of my favourite haunts from the past couple of years for a very special Golden Week itinerary. So if you are stuck for inspiration, or don't know how to make the most of this week, then never fear, for this guide will have something for everyone-yes, even those of you overseas! So, let's begin….."

He stopped the recording there, and paused. He looked at the written list he had with him, of all the past videos he was lifting extracts from and the order he had them in. From restaurants to high end shopping centres to game arcades and exhibitions, if someone was to follow the 'itinerary' exactly, they'd surely be living the life, and they'd imagine that his Golden Week would be just as glamorous, too.

 _Hah, what a shock they'd have!_ His fans would probably have a heart attack if they knew that he was going to be having what was a mostly quiet week. Especially because it was mostly. Somehow the thought of spending a day with thirteen strangers (okay, so now he knew Mizuki and Otsuki-it was strange to think of her as Hana when he already knew one- and Mokomichi, and so Sho was his classmate and Minah and Yuna were in his year, but still) made his skin crawl. Yet, he was doing it anyway.

 _Because I am completely and utterly mad. But also, because I want to._

It was insane and most possibly reckless and dangerous (once again, unwillingly, he thought of the camera), yet he was looking forward to it. His promotional videos that lowered fees were just a drop in the water, really. It was passive, and how could he, of all people, claim that he cared if he wasn't even mucking in the way he had done for other causes? The answer was simple, really.

 _And now, I am here._

Azuki sighed, and reached for the camera again, and pressed record, and began to speak again. There was still so much to do.

 **…**

Keiko felt heavy as she unlocked her room, in a way that had nothing to do with the stacks of paper and the bags she was juggling as she did so. She was vaguely aware of other people also in the corridor, but none of them acknowledged her. Though, it should have been fine anyway. She could juggle two wriggly toddlers at once, papers and bags weren't so bad compared to that. Still, her heart felt like a lead weight, her arms and legs dense, and when she finally did get into her room, and closed the door behind her, she continued to feel that way. As she put the papers on her desk and the contents of her bags in the right places (not to mention the bags themselves), the feeling did not dissipate.

And she was perfectly aware why.

Holding her mobile phone carefully as she went to sit on her bed, leaning her back against the wall, she put off what she was meant to do by opening up 'Shh!' and reading through the messages from her… _what are they, exactly?_ She wondered this absently as she scrolled through, smiling occasionally at some of the silliness. Once or twice, she started to type, and then she lost the courage, and just kept scrolling through.

 _Sho: senpai! Why're you typing and stopping_

 _Sorry!,_ Keiko typed. _There's so much going on here I don't know what to reply to._

 _Sho: haha, that is very much true, some of us do chat on here a lot_

 _Shino: Pot calling the kettle, much?_

 _Sho: i don't know what you mean hehehe_

 _Azuki: she means youre the worst offender, baka_

 _Sho: B-baka?! i'm hurt!_

 _Keiko Usui: Ah, come on…_

 _Sho: relax, I'm joking_

 _Keiko Usui: Oh, okay._

 _Emiko ;): Oh but man I am so glad it's Golden Week next week!_

 _Shino: Me too_

 _Sho: saaaaaammmmeeeee_

 _Flower: It will be nice to have a break._

 _Keiko Usui: Mhm, it certainly will. I'll come back to chat later, I have things I need to be doing now._

 _Emiko;) : See ya! Don't be a stranger now!_

 _Keiko Usui: I won't, don't worry._

 _Azuki: she'll be seeing us next week IN PERSON, remember?!_

Keiko shook her head in amusement, but the feeling ebbed away as she exited the app, and went to her phone's dialer. Even though she had it in her contacts anyway, she tapped the number out carefully, slowly. All part of the ritual to help her work up to this. Then, she held the phone up to her ear and listened to the rings.

"Hello?"

Keiko smiled softly at the little, cautious voice at the other end of the line.

"Tarou, it's Onee-chan."

"Oh!" Tarou said, simply, before pausing, clearly waiting for her to say something.

"How are you, Tarou? Are Tsubaki and Kiku at home?"

"Yes. I'll go get them, Onee-chan."

There was a small tap, and Keiko pictured her youngest brother putting the phone down on the table carefully and then padding upstairs to quietly get his brothers, as unobtrusive as possible. If it had been Kiku who'd picked up, he would have just yelled up the staircase, whereas Tsubaki would have finished having his talk with her first, before then going to get the others, his method somewhere in-between that of his two younger brothers. So very different, and all of them, her brothers. Her responsibilities, even so far away.

"Onee-chan?"

Keiko jumped, and quickly composed herself.

"Yes?"

"Tsubaki-nii-chan is studying." Tarou said quietly. "But Kiku-nii-chan is here!"

"HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME!" Kiku's yell came through.

"Yes, yes, I can. Tarou, put the phone on loudspeaker."

"Okay."

Keiko waited a few moments.

"There, can you both hear me now?"

"Yep!" Kiku said, thankfully not yelling.

"Alright then. So tell me both, how are you all? Is everything alright at home? How're Mimi and Ichiro?"

For the next few minutes, she simply listened as her two brothers talked about things that had been happening to them and how their extended family had been doing, intervening only to show she was listening, and to make sure Kiku gave Tarou some time to talk.

"Oh, and by the way, if you're wondering if Dad has been around then no, it's the same as usual. But we're big boys, right, Tarou? You don't need to worry about us."

Keiko heard Tarou 'mhm' in the background, and she took a moment to compose herself.

"Don't be silly, Kiku, I care about you all."

"I know _that_ ," Kiku said, sighing heavily. "But, it's your last year of school, like Nii-san's. You've got things to do."

"It's not as if I'll be going to university though. I will be straight back home after the year is up." Keiko said, as neutrally as she could be.

"You should go to university though!" Kiku burst out. "You're just as clever as Nii-san, and he is going."

"But he is going to help Dad in the business, he needs to. I do not need to."

 _Oh, but how I want to._ More than anything, she wanted to, to have some sort of life that was not the one expected of her. Perhaps, if she did not love them so much, she would have decided to pursue it anyway, whatever the cost.

"That's absolute bu-oh, sorry, Tarou! Didn't mean to swear in front of you."

"It's okay…" Tarou whispered.

Keiko put a hand to her heart. Yes, there was no way she would just selfishly abandon everything, no matter what she wanted. There was no way.

"Yes, but anyway, Nee-san, it's not fair on you! Like, Dad just let you look after us, it's the least he could do."

"Kiku, it's fine, really. I've at least had the chance to be here at Hope's Peak." _Albeit under this title of all the titles I could have had._ "And I am making the most of it, really. So don't make a fuss to Dad, or to Tsubaki, okay?"

"But…."

"It's not Tsubaki's fault, and Dad is very busy, as you know. Please, Kiku?"

"Hmmmm, alright, Nee-san. But it's still not fair."

"If you say so." _Oh, how I agree with you._ "But you don't need to worry about me, really. "

"Okay….." Kiku sounded sceptical, and Keiko couldn't really fault him for it. Always the wild one, it was inevitable he'd have picked up on…these things. _Such a good boy._

"Onee-chan?" Tarou piped up after a long moment.

"Yes, Tarou?"

"Are you coming home for Golden Week?"

"Unfortunately no, I've got…a lot of work to do. For my Talent Exams." She said after a moment.

"Oh. Good luck, Onee-chan."

"Thank you, Tarou."

"Yeah, good luck!" Kiku chimed in. "We're rooting for you!"

Keiko smiled, and after a little more chatting and reminders that she was only a phone call away if they did need her, she hung up, and with a heavy sigh, she leaned against the wall again, closing her eyes for a moment.

 _Am I really making the most of things?_ She wondered, though really, she knew the answer. _Is this really a glimpse of the life I could've had, or is it just an illusory freedom. Still, at least I'm here, right?_

She opened her eyes again, and weighed the phone in her hands. She hovered over the screen, thinking to go back into 'Shh!' but then she paused, thinking of the reason she even had that app and was even in touch with these people in the first place _. If I am actually going to be able to make a difference the way Teranaga-chan and the others think we can….will that make a difference to me, too?_ It felt almost shamefully selfish to think so, and her cheeks heated up at the possibility, but all the same. It was there, and maybe, just maybe…

 _Keiko, stop being so silly,_ she admonished herself. Getting up, she slapped at her cheeks to pull herself back together, then picked up her phone and went over to her desk. The pile of lab findings she'd printed were things she could have easily sorted during another lab time, but by bringing them here and doing them now, she could at least pretend that her scientific prowess was valued. And it would have more immediate results than whatever else was happening, for now.

So she sat down, pulled the pile towards her, and got to work.


	20. Golden Week, part 2

***screeches* Somehow, this is here! Enjoy!**

* * *

Kaneda and Kagami followed the bustling stream of people out of the tent and into the courtyard, and he looked around him at the smaller tents and the various stalls dotted around them. There were also a few performers dotted here and there, grabbing the attention of the various people who were ambling, nowhere particularly in mind as they ambled-a juggler, a tap dancer, a contortionist, a living statue.

"So, Kagami!" he said, looking down at her. "Where'd you want to go? Shall we wait around for the next showing?"

Kagami wrinkled her nose adorably at that.

"Nooooo, it's just the same again."

"True, true, but you enjoyed it, right?"

"Yess, but I want to do all these things too!"

"Fair enough, fair enough!" Kaneda laughed at Kagami's indignation. "So then, what part of this emporium of wonders would you like to sample?"

Kagami giggled, but then thought about it, before pointing to a stall that appeared to be hosting a target throwing game with various oversized fluffy toys in differing pastel hues for prizes. There was nobody queuing there, and the owner looked bored. Kaneda grinned, and allowed himself to be led over to the stall. He read the sign advertising the prizes, and then turned to the stall owner as he found and held out the money.

"Why hello there, I'd like to take my chances with your game and pay for two goes."

"Sure, whatever floats your boat. There's a prize as long as you hit some part of the target at least." The owner replied, sounding as bored as he looked as he handed the two balls.

"Ahh well I'm sure it'll be fine. Right, Kagami?"

"Yeah, Onii-chan! I could probably hit it with an arrow!"

"You could indeed. Right now, let me get myself in the zone!"

Kaneda proceeded to do just that, shifting from leg to leg before assuming the sort of position he'd seen baseball players on TV assume. Ignoring what he was pretty sure were snickers from the owner, he made an under-arm swing and let the first ball fly. It arced through the air, and thwacked the edge of the first target before dropping to the ground. Kaneda wasted no time in throwing the second ball, this time deciding to change things up and throw it overarm, and this resulted in the ball hitting somewhere closer to the centre, though not quite there.

"Choose one small and one medium, whichever ones you want," the owner said as he stooped to pick up the balls. "The small ones are on the very bottom row, the medium ones above it. Go ahead and take it"

"Kagami?" Kaneda made a grand indicative gesture towards the toys. "You choose?"

Kagami's eyes widened, and she bounced on her spot for a moment, before scampering forward and examining the toys. Smiling at her joy, Kaneda kept himself fully focused on her as she deliberated, barely paying any attention to what was happening around him until he heard a voice he recognised inquiring about the costs of the stall. Instantly, he whipped around to see none other than Kumori with a girl he didn't know.

"KOUHAI!" he proclaimed. "How are you?"

"Ah, uh…I am well, thank you. And yourself?" Kumori said, startling.

"I am just wonderful, just enjoying this wonderful circus with my lovely little sister, Kagami."

"Who're they?" Kagami said, looking up from where she was attempting to unhook one of the small prizes-a lilac floppy-eared bunny.

"Well, this here is my lovely kouhai Kumori Kurogane, and this is…."

Kaneda trailed off as he looked at the girl. Her black hair seemed slightly wavier, and though still fairly long, was noticeably shorter than Kumori's, tied up into two ponytails with ribbons. She seemed thin and frail, pale skin seeming even more so by the clothing choice of dark red skirt and black jumper, and though she had a very delicate look to her, her eyes looked uncannily like Kumori's. They were the same height, too. _Ah, they must be…_

"I'm Hoshiko, Kumori's sister." She said. "You know him from school?"

"Yes, yes," Kaneda proclaimed, grabbing Hoshiko's hand and shaking it vigorously. "I'm in the year above him."

"I see…."

Hoshiko's hand felt bony and delicate in his, and she slowly extracted herself from his grip as she looked from him to Kagami, who was still deliberating over the medium toys. Suddenly, she turned to him and pointed to a yellow duck.

"Can I have that one?"

"Sure, let me unhook it fo-oh, thanks, Kouhai!" Kaneda said, startled as Kumori had already unhooked the duck and held it out to Kagami.

"There you go, Kagami-sama." He said, holding it out to her.

"O-oh!" Kagami blushed. "Thank you."

Kaneda watched Hoshiko take in Kagami's appearance, glancing at his face, picking up on the similarities between them. Especially one particular similarity. He wondered if she would ask. Hopefully not, because while he was more than happy to share the story, he didn't want Kagami reliving it or feeling self-conscious.

"Soooooooo," he said, quickly as possible. "Are you enjoying the circus?"

"Yeah, I am," Hoshiko said as she dug in her bag for money, ignoring Kumori's protests she paid the stall owner, before stepping back to let Kumori do the throwing. "I really enjoyed the main ring performance."

"Yes, the quality of the performance was stunning. The ringmaster knows what he is doing." Kumori commented as his ball hit the target in much the same place Kaneda's second ball did. "But, this place doesn't look so much a circus as it does a funfair."

"Oh?" Kaneda asked, curious. "What do you mean?"

"A circus is usually compromised only of one main tent, where all the performances happen, not smaller tents and stalls where you can amble in and out at leisure. "

"Kumori has been pontificating on this for ages, trust me, it's true." Hoshiko remarked dryly.

"It is no bad thing though," Kumori replied, pausing mid-swing with his second ball and turning to look at them. "It is a most refreshing approach to a circus."

"Yup, he's been saying that too." Hoshiko remarked as Kumori turned to throw again.

"I did not know that you were interested in the circus! Kurogane-kouhai, you dark horse, you!" Kaneda said, surprised.

"Wha-what?!"

Startling, Kumori let go earlier than he intended, and his shot went wide. Kumori stared the target blankly, as the stall owner yawned and went to pick up the ball.

"Bad luck kiddo, only one prize for you." The stall owner said.

"Ah, well, I suppose it cannot be helped." Kumori said, turning to give a helpless smile to Hoshiko, who smiled back. Kaneda grinned and gave him two thumbs-up.

"It's fine. Go, choose one."

"Oh, do you not…..?"

"Nah, surprise me!"

"If you insist, Hoshiko-Onee-sama….."

After a few moments of deliberation, Kumori picked out a blue bear, and presented to Hoshiko, who smiled beatifically as she took it.

"Oho, lovely choice! Here, you know what, have a sticker for effort! Let me find one….."

Kaneda rootled around in the pockets of his charcoal-grey trousers and eventually found a sheet of smiley-face stickers, which he presented to Kumori. After a moment of spluttering, Kumori eventually selected a purple one, all while Hoshiko looked on in some incredulity.

"Onii-chan?"

Kaneda instantly spun around to look at Kagami, who was clutching her toys and looking at him in slight confusion.

"Yes, Kagami, what is it?"

"Are they twins?"

"Ah, now that is a very good question. Are you?"

"As a matter of fact, quadruplets…." Kumori replied, tugging at the lapel of his mauve blazer uncomfortably.

"Quadruplets, huh? Fascinating." Kaneda said, stroking his chin. "Brothers? Sisters?"

"Sisters, the other ones are." Hoshiko said.

"Ohoho, Kurogane-sempai is the only boy of quadruplets and he is interested in the circus? Such a dark horse, you are, such a dark horse! You must tell me more!"

Kaneda looped an arm around Kumori's shoulders and grinned, then thought of something, and looked over at Kagami. She seemed alright for now, but surely she would have noticed Hoshiko paying attention to her scar and maybe that….

"Kagami, would you be alright with my lovely kouhai and his sister joining us?"

Kagami frowned at this for a moment.

"Can we get candyfloss?"

"Why of cooouuuuurssseee!"

"Kumori…." He heard Hoshiko stage-whisper "Is your sempai always this…weird?"

"Me? Weird? Huh… you just might be onto something there, Hoshiko-Chan! Hahaheheh!" Kaneda laughed, turning around to her swiftly at the very mention of the word 'weird'.

"Still, I like to consider myself an ordinary human being, just like everyone else," he continued. "See, I breathe the same air and drink the same water, but then again… I guess you could say the same about nearly every animal on this planet! Hah, I'm getting off-track here, aren't I? My bad, my bad... Okay, so get this, I'll admit that I might have just a teensy bit of brain damage. Seriously! Apparently, when I was born, I nearly suffocated and the lack of oxygen to my tiny developing brain might've caused some wonky stuff to go on inside my noggin'. I almost died, you know? Haha! Yeah, I know it's not really something to laugh about, but you can't fault me for being happy to be alive, can you? That wasn't the point? Sorry, what were we talking about again?"

After that speech, there was a moment of complete silence between them, masked by the noise of the circus around them. Kumori blinked and stared at Kaneda, and Kagami bounced impatiently. Hide wondered, had he ever talked to Kumori about his life story? He imagined he had, it was not as if much of it was a secret, and he prided himself on being open. Then again, it was not as if they'd properly known each other until those riots, and the formation of their group. _Life really does work in funny ways, doesn't it?_

Eventually, Hoshiko sighed.

"I suppose the answer to that is yes, then."

"If you really would like us to join you, then I would not mind." Kumori said. "That is what we were talking about."

"Yes, indeed!" Kaneda said. "Now, my lovely little sister as requested candyfloss, so let's go and find some. Tell me, Kurogane-kouhai, how do you feel about candyfloss…..?"

 **…**

"Really, Hoshiko-Onee-sama, you don't need to come with me…."

"Oh, really, I'm fine." Hoshiko said, stifling a yawn. "Besides, it's boring, sitting around at home. I'd rather spend time with my favourite sibling."

"If Okaa-sama found out, though…"

"Oh, don't worry, she won't. And don't worry about our sisters either." Hoshiko grinned. "Trust me."

"How could I not?" Kumori responded, automatically. Hoshiko had always been the only sister he could trust, sinful as the thought of admitting he did _not_ trust the rest of his family was.

"But surely," he continued, trying his best to not take his thinking down that road. "You prefer to do something else with your time?"

"Hmmmm, not really." Hoshiko said. "Besides, I want to see Riko-san, she is cool."

"Yes, yes she is." Kumori acknowledged. "But, please do not strain yourself by waiting for me."

"For the last time, Kumori, I'm _fine_. But yes, I'll go home. I'm not so worried about you anymore anyway."

"Oh?"

Kumori blinked at Hoshiko in confusion. _Not so worried? How can that be?_ Hoshiko had always been worried about him, not just from when he'd started at Hope's Peak, but always. That had not changed, as far as he had seen. _Then again, I have proved poor in my judgements before, so why should this be any different?_

"Yeah," Hoshiko said. "I mean, you're more involved in school life and you're talking to people. Plus, you've got actual friends now, right, apart from Riko-san? Even if he is an absolute weirdo."

"Oh, Kagane-sempai is not…."

Kumori paused and considered. The pause stretched out as the train continued to chug along. _Were_ they friends? Sure, he knew him fairly well, in the same way he knew a lot of people at school. But friendship? Were they at that point yet? He wasn't so sure about that. _But perhaps we could be? If we're going to be seeing each other a lot more now, and working together. And what of the rest of them?_

"He's not what?" Hoshiko probed.

"Actually, it is possible that he is. We are seeing each other on Friday, along with some other classmates."

"Really?" Hoshiko exclaimed loudly, startling an old lady knitting on the opposite seat. She gave an apologetic smile before leaning in to Kumori, wide-eyed.

"That's great, Kumori. It's good you're spending at least some of your Golden Week relaxing."

 _I'm not sure this will be relaxing, exactly._ But he would not tell Hoshiko that. Even if she was stronger now as an adolescent, he did not want to stress her out too much. Instead, he just nodded. After that, they lapsed into silence for a while as the train continued to sway. He absently looked at the scenery whizzing past him, then looked into his bag for one of his textbooks to look through, just to recap before he got to Riko.

When the train stopped, the few other passengers already on the carriage they were on got off, and a few more got on. All were adults of varying ages who instantly went to the free seats further down, but the final was a girl he struggled to place at first, but he quickly recognised her when she turned to fully face him. It had been the adornments in her hair and the dark red glasses that had thrown him off.

"Yorokobi-sama!" he greeted. "How are you?"

"Oh! Hello. I am fine, thank you. And yourself?" Yuna asked, blushing slightly as she took a seat next to Kumori, placing the gift bag she was carrying between them rather deliberately.

"I am fine. Are you doing anything interesting today?" Kumori asked as the train set off again.

"I am attending the birthday party of a friend from my Sunday School. What about yourself?"

"Oh, I am just going for a study session."

"Oh, I see."

An awkward silence followed. Yuna blushed, shuffled, smoothed down the bright white skirt of her dress. Kumori fiddled with a lock of his hair, absently picked at the sticker on his blazer, then it occurred to him that it'd be worth introducing Hoshiko to her, as well. And so, he did just that.

"Oh, she's your…what's the programme your school is doing?"

"The Talent Exchange Program?" Yuna asked quizzically.

"Yes!" Hoshiko clicked her fingers once in realisation. "That's the one Kumori's been going on about. What is your talent again?"

"Sexologist."

There was a pause, and Kumori looked at Hoshiko, who looked incredulous, even though he knew he had told her. But luckily, Hoshiko just shrugged.

"Hope's Peak really is a…colourful school, huh?"

"Oh yes, it really is." Yuna said enthusiastically. "There's ever such a lot of talent on display, and I can understand the world even more now I am around it."

"Yes, indeed." Kumori agreed. "I am truly starting to feel that now as well."

Hoshiko simply nodded at that, looking at the two of them. Her gaze was piercing, but there was a soft smile on her face. Kumori supposed that she was seeing this as further proof that he now had 'actual friends'. _But am I friends with Yorokobi-sama? She is a very lovely young lady and I am enjoying spending time with her and learning from her. Is that friendship?_

"Well that is good, because that's what I want, to pass on my knowledge and understanding on proper values to others." Yuna said, looking pleased at his agreement, before abruptly changing the subject.

"Are you looking forward to Friday?"

"I…well, I think it will be an interesting experience." Kumori said, slightly wrong-footed by the subject change.

"Oh yes, it definitely will!" Yuna nodded enthusiastically. The nod made the daisy from her headband dislodge slightly, and on reflex, Kumori reached out to catch it.

"There you go." He said, holding it out.

"Oh, gosh darn it! I was so hoping it would last until I got to the party." Yuna clicked her tongue in annoyance as she took the daisy. Then, she paused, and looked up at Kumori.

"Ah, but thank you though."

"Not a problem, Yorokobi-sama. If it makes you feel better, in my humble opinion, the hairband still looks perfectly fine without the daisy."

Yuna nodded absently at that, and she picked up the daisy from Kumori's upturned hands. For a brief moment, her fingers brushed against his palm, and she jumped slightly, before hurriedly picking up the daisy and sticking it in her purse before looking straight ahead, twirling her hair tightly. Kumori put his hands in his lap firmly, but felt himself blush slightly as he resisted the urge to look closer at his palm.

They did not speak until the next stop, at which point Yuna got up, and turned to Kumori.

"W-well, this is my stop. I hope your study session is productive."

"And I hope you enjoy your party. See you on Friday, Yorokobi-sama."

Yuna scurried off, the train doors closed, and it set off again. Kumori leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a heavy sigh, but quickly became aware of Hoshiko's intense stare. He sat up, and looked at her.

"Kumori, you didn't tell me you had a crush on her."

"I…don't?"

Whatever he had expected Hoshiko to say, it hadn't been that.

"Really? Could've fooled me." Hoshiko grinned. "But you know you don't need to hide it from me, of all people, if you do."

"Yeah, I know."

"So…."

Kumori glanced down at his hand, which he had studiously balled into a fist in his lap. His cheeks still felt slightly hot.

"I am not sure, Hoshiko-Onee-sama."

Hoshiko stared at him for a moment, and Kumori knew what she was thinking. Mostly because he was thinking it himself. _But I shouldn't. It is not right for me to think like that. And besides, I'm sure Yorokobi-sama would agree that I shouldn't think like that either, I'm sure she values her family too._ Then, Hoshiko nodded, soberly, and spoke:

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."


	21. Golden Week, part 3

Sosuke sent off the scanned document, then leaned back in his seat and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. _It is probably time for a screen break,_ he told himself, before putting his glasses back on and switching off his computer screen. He looked through the paperwork (that was to say, the hard-copy paperwork) on his in-tray, but none of it was urgent. All the same, in the interests of efficiency, he decided to complete some. There was nothing particularly compelling or unusual about the paperwork in question, so he breezed through them in relatively little time, depositing them in his out-tray. Eventually, his mind began to wander.

 _I wonder what things will be like, after Golden Week is over._ It had been a frustration, ceding control over the assembly and the punishments in the form of having to agree with Mizuki (and, to a certain extent, Riko. Why she had not become part of this little alliance, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to question it). But he knew that it was a small sacrifice, for a much bigger gain. An uncertain gain, but all the same, a gain. It would be worth it in the end. It had to be.

Though, in some ways, he was already getting those gains. Such as finding out things about the school he had not previously known. The presence of the graveyard, the so-called 'Parade'. _Though, how do I know they were not just making it up?_ Cursory search-engine explorations in his room in the dorms had yielded nothing. Yet something that big had to have left a mark, not just because of the shock it would have caused, but from a legal standpoint.

 _From a legal standpoint…_

Sosuke sucked in a breath, and looked at his computer, but thought better of it. Instead, he got up, and left his office, and headed down to the archives, right in the basement. Since it was Golden Week, naturally there were very few people in, so he did not need to make up a reason to visit the archives. Naturally, though, he had a plausible story already prepared by the time he reached the archives entrance and headed down the stairs, but to his relief, there was no-one there either.

He headed straight to the computer by the door, and signed in. He opened an incognito search, and after some thought, entered the search terms 'Parade' '2010' and 'Hope's Peak', for all documents, before pressing enter.

A moment.

Then another, and another.

And, then….

 _11 results found._

Sosuke skimmed through the list, made a mental note of the locations, then cleared the search and signed out completely, and headed down the dark, slightly fusty aisles. He went further, and further-far past where most documents of the type and the time period were kept, right down into the darkest ends of the room, the parts where people rarely needed to go. Where the oldest documents, the odds and ends that were held onto 'just in case' were kept, where the relevance was, for the most part, purely historical value.

 _I suppose in that way, having them here is fitting._

Finally, he found the box that the archives had claimed he could find them, and looked through. Sure enough, the documents were right at the bottom-identifiable by how new they looked next to the things they had been placed with, even at 22 years old. Sosuke put the box back on the shelf, and took his mobile phone out of his pocket, finding the torch of it and then balancing the phone on the box such that he had a makeshift reading lamp, before proceeding to read.

The first few seemed to be a contract of some sort, between Hope's Peak and media organisations of the time, essentially imposing a gagging order on them, with threats of prosecution for those who did not comply. There were also individuals named, as well as a collective 'surviving students of the Reserve Course and their families and close associates'. The event they were not meant to talk about was simply referred to as 'The Parade'. The same name that Shino Hisakawa had used. _Well, that is certainly an indication in their favour,_ Sosuke mused. _But this alone cannot have managed to completely bury such an event under the sand. After all, social media was widely used even back then. Perhaps not to the same capacity, but that aspect of technology was certainly making leaps and bounds, back in 2010._

Still, it was rather damning, and Sosuke flicked through to the next document, another contract, again dealing with money-but referring to medical bills, apparently given only 'under the condition that silence from all connected parties about 'The Parade' is guaranteed.' Attached were some photographs, and Sosuke flicked through, barely registering any emotion at the close-up pictures of horrific injuries and scared teenage faces, even though intellectually, he knew they were horrific. He kept on flicking through all the documents, finding police reports, records of payments made for funerals and lawyers, detailed student records of the time, rows of names struck through and annotations made-this one, Sosuke recognised as potentially being the missing information from the censuses at Hope's Peak's library (that one simply listed the names of the dead). There were also short descriptions of who these students had been, and copies of their ID documents.

And then, finally, there were building plans and planning permissions for the South Building of Hope's Peak Academy. Or technically, two versions. One labelled 'OFFICIAL' which simply made reference to 'vandalism' and 'freak accidents' whereas the other referred to the 'disastrous incident known as The Parade'.

 _Well now, this is interesting._ Sosuke had known that the building had been rebuilt during the 2010s, but the general narrative around that had been due to 'renovations' of what had been, even then, a very old building. As different areas of the school had indeed been going through the processes of updating during that time, it had been easy to believe. _But it seems that this 'renovation' was more of a reconstruction. Well then._

Sosuke turned back to the very first document, and then, picking his phone up again and kneeling down, he laid down the documents flat on the floor (since there was no table handy) and he methodically photo-scanned every page into his phone, saving them straight to a protected folder. Then, he put them all away, and headed back up into the light, dusting himself down and being as quick and quiet as he could. He did not breathe until he was back in his office.

Sitting back down at the desk, Sosuke took his phone out, and opened up 'Shh!'. His finger hovered over the group chat. Should he, shouldn't he? He suspected that they would be more than interested. _But, there's no telling what they might do with this proof, after that debacle with Hisakawa-san. And if that could be traced back to me…_ He was not stupid, he had listened to Azuki's story. The leakage of the documents could easily be traced back to these law offices, and by extension Sosuke himself. _No,_ he decided, exiting the app and putting his phone back in his pocket. _No._

 _I'll keep this to myself, for now._

 **…**

Minah picked a pink jacket off the rack and considered it. It was a nice style, but she wasn't too sure about the colour. Pretty as it was, she wasn't quite sure it was right for her. _Hmmm._ She turned to Mawa and held it out to her after a moment's more thought.

"Hey, this looks like something you'd like to wear." She suggested.

"Oh?"

Mawa grinned as she shoved the blouse she had been holding at Leah, and she took the jacket, holding it to her. She struck a fancy pose, adjusted some loosening strands of her fancy up-do, then struck another pose and grinned at them.

"What do you think?"

"I think you'd have to try it on to know." Leah remarked, unfazed.

"It might go well with that blouse though." Ai said. "They've got similar colours, I really think they'd look cute together."

"Yeah, I agree." Minah agreed.

"Cool. I'll keep ahold of them for now and then try 'em on in a moment. Kang-Chan, you got anything?" Mawa asked as she reclaimed the blouse from Leah.

"I've been looking, but nothing's caught my eyes yet."

"Really?" Mawa said, disbelievingly.

"Aw come on!" Ai said. "Most of the stuff here would totally suit you, you're so pretty."

"Ah, well….." Minah shrugged. She didn't particularly think she really needed new clothes, but she supposed it would be nice to treat herself once in a while. Besides, it was part of the fun, hanging out with her friends like this.

"I think there are some crop tops over there." Leah piped up, pointing.

"That's all Minah-Chan wears though." Ai rolled her eyes.

"Hey, don't knock it, if she likes it she likes it, right?" Mawa declared with a grin. "Besides, she'll rock any look she wants to, so why not this over any other?"

"Says the person who constantly changes her style."

"Hey, don't knock that, either." Mawa struck a mock-glamourous pose, making the rest of them laugh before they headed to the rail of clothes that Leah had pointed out.

They spent a while in that part of the shop, Minah finding a couple of pretty crop tops on the rack Leah had pointed out, as well as a black denim jacket and a t-shirt. Mawa found piles of clothing, and Leah and Ai had more than Minah, but much less than Mawa, which for some reason provoked a lot of amusement, but eventually even Mawa decided she'd found all she wanted to buy from that shop, and they all went to the tills.

"Teruya's probably going to kill me." Mawa remarked, referring to her twin brother in 99B.

"Why? It's not like you share rooms?" Ai pointed out.

"No, but watch how I sneak some of the things that won't fit into my wardrobe into his."

"What? Why?"

"Oh come on, I do it all the time. You haven't realised?"

"Nope."

Minah shook her head in amusement as they each went to different tills. It did not take the cashier long to complete Minah's transaction, and she would have been the first to have been done if not for the fact that just as Minah was about to pick up her bag and wait by the side, the cashier leaned in with a fascinated look on her face.

"Excuse me, you are Minah Kang, aren't you?"

"I…." Minah blinked, but quickly remembered to smile, "Yes, that's right."

"Oh my goodness!" the cashier squealed. They looked right and left, then lowered their voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"I don't suppose I could sneak a quick selfie with you? My family will be so jealous if I tell them that _Minah Kang_ stopped by today."

Minah sighed internally, but on the outside she was the very picture of amiability.

"Of course."

The cashier did a happy dance on the spot, then quickly whipped a mobile phone out of their trouser pocket, then Minah tilted her head as the cashier leaned over the counter to take them both in, the latter flashing a peace symbol while the former just smiled. It was over in moments, but Minah couldn't wait to get out.

"That cashier was a fan, huh?" Leah asked as they looked for the next shop to browse.

"Mhm."

"You could just say no, you know?" Mawa pointed out.

"Yes, but…." Minah sighed. "They mean well, usually."

This earned her a look from all three of her friends-clearly, none of them bought it. She didn't either, to be fair. It just was what it was. It served nobody if she was unkind. Even if she did wish it didn't happen-she was not the celebrity they wanted her to be. Just someone who loved her sport, and put all into it.

"Let's not dwell on it," she responded eventually. "This is our day, right?"

"Yes, that's the spirit!" Ai cheered. "Let's go!"

And for the next couple of shops, Minah didn't need to think about her celebrity status, and the four of them were just teenage girls enjoying a day out during Golden Week. But then, as they were about to enter another shop, they were stopped by two university age girls.

"Um, can we help you?" Mawa asked, eyebrows raised.

"It's fine, really…" Minah said softly, stepping forward.

"Ah, um…" the two girls looked at each other nervously, before the first spoke. "We just wanted to tell you that we're really, really big fans."

"Mhm," the second one said. "We've been watching you on TV since forever, you're the coolest."

"That's nice…"

Minah started to think of a polite way to extract herself from the situation, when suddenly the first girl blurted out:

"You're basically our role model!"

"Oh?"

"Y-yeah!" the second girl elaborated when the first went too red to say anything herself. "Like, Kimi used to think that fighting was something only delinquents did, and my mum always told me that only boys did things like taekwondo, but then we both watched you, and you were like pretty and beautiful but still really strong and powerful, so we both took lessons and…well, ever since then we've felt strong and powerful, too."

"Mhm." The first girl nodded earnestly.

Minah blinked, taken aback. _Strong and powerful, huh?_ Even in this day and age, she knew there were so many girls like these two, who once had not felt like that, or who still did not, and believed they didn't. To know that in some small way, she helped to change that, well…that was why she still put up with things like this.

"I'm pleased to hear that. Keep working hard, and don't let anyone take that away from you, alright?"

"We won't!"

"I…um…"

"You can have a photograph, if you like." Minah said, smiling genuinely this time.

The girls beamed at that, and one took out her phone, and just like with the cashier, it was over in a few moments. The girls left soon after, going on their own way, but this time, Minah wasn't just relieved, she was pleased, too.

 _Yes, this is why I put up with things like this._

 **…**

After a few more shops, including a stationary shop to restock on some school supplies, the four girls decided to look for a café or restaurant to go to ("It's Golden Week, we gotta treat ourselves!" Ai had declared). But the shopping centre was busy, and as such, most establishments were almost ridiculously crowded.

"This isn't faiiiiir." Ai whined.

"I know, right?" Mawa agreed. "How hard is it to find a single table? Well, I'd prefer a booth, but yeah, even a table."

"I'm sure we will find something, there're a lot of places here, right?" Minah pointed out. "Why don't we try the next floor?"

Mawa frowned for a minute, then her face lit up again and she nodded, leading the way imperiously to the lifts. While they waited for it, they made small talk with a sweet elderly lady who told them that they all reminded her of her granddaughters, who continued to chat as the lift arrived and then insisted on giving them all sweets before they got off the lift. Minah slipped hers into the pocket of her red jacket, while Leah and Ai ate their own. Mawa decided to give hers to her brother as a 'peace offering', the proclamation of which set them all off laughing again.

Eventually, they changed the subject to what they were doing for the rest of the week, and so it did not take very long for them to work out that Minah was hiding something about her Friday plans.

"But who are these other people?"

"Just Teranaga-san, and some reserve course students, and a few others from 99 and 98."

Minah did not feel like mentioning one of those people was Azuki. She didn't feel like mentioning any of them, really. They weren't doing anything wrong, far from it, and yet…they had agreed to be discreet. And as much as she loved her friends, she didn't think they could be discreet about something like this. They could not understand any of it.

"But…why?" Ai asked.

"Why not? I'm interested in getting to know people, that's all. It's just an informal get-together. I mean, we're just hanging out." Minah said, feeling inexplicably ….. _squicky_ as she said so.

"Yeah, but….are they your friends, or what?" Mawa asked.

"Well, Teranaga-san is." Minah said cautiously. "and Kagane-sempai is my TEP pairing."

"Well, that's a little more explainable." Mawa nodded with a frown.

"I still find it weird though!" Ai said. "But hey, you do you, right?"

"I have to admit I'm still curious." Leah said. "I want to know when you met these new people."

"Oh, just around the school…." _And defending them from the unfair consequences of the riots…._

"And Reserve Course students to boot…" Mawa said incredulously.

"They are like us, you know. The only difference is a title." Minah said quickly.

"Geez, we know that!" Mawa said, holding her hands up in surrender. "It's just a bit unusual, since they're always in one place and we're always in another and we don't mix usually…because well, title is kind of a big difference, though yeah, I guess we're all teenagers at the end of the day…."

"Hey, isn't that Fumi-kun?"

The debate (veering quickly out of control, to Minah's eyes) was thankfully halted as they looked to see where Leah was pointing to. Across from them, a figure with bright blue hair was leaning over the balcony with a camera, filming and gesturing at the light displays hanging from the ceilings and the shoppers that could be seen on the ground below. Some of the cadence of his voice reached them, cheerful and enthusiastic, but the actual words were lost in the hubbub of the shopping centre.

"Do you know, I think it _is_ him." Minah said, after a moment of consideration. "I wonder what he is filming."

"Let's go and ask!" Ai declared.

"Oooh, lets!" Mawa agreed gleefully, bouncing on her heels.

"No, don't do that!" Minah burst out, startling them both.

Mawa narrowed her eyes at Minah.

"Why?"

"Because, he's clearly busy making a video, right? He won't want to be disturbed."

"Aw, but he talks to people all the time on his videos. He even blows kisses at them." Mawa protested.

"Even so, I think we should leave him be." Minah said firmly. "Knowing what Sawada-kun is like, he'd prefer just being able to make his videos in as much peace as possible."

"Well, yeah, but…..he's Fumi-kun at the moment, not our plain old stuck-up Sawada!" Ai pouted.

"They're one and the same though." Leah, who had been quietly analysing the situation until then, piped up.

"Exactly." Minah said instantly. "Being in the spotlight is hard enough as it is, and we should all to a certain knowledge be able to understand this, yes?"

"Actually, yes." Mawa looked thoughtful now. "I get what you're saying. I'd love to be in a video with Fumi-kun though…"

"Well, his channel is doing a lot of the Centenary coverage, right?" Minah pointed out. _And potentially more besides, but no need to mention that._

"Oh yeah!" Ai perked up suddenly.

"Exactly, so let's just forget him and go actually look for somewhere to eat!" Leah concluded.

"Fine, fine!" Mawa and Ai said in unison.

They continued to walk, in the opposite direction to where Azuki was filming, and looked for somewhere to eat. For the first few places they tried, they were met with the same luck they had been on the lower floor, but then they entered an American-style diner that was only half-full, and somewhat inexplicably playing _Chaotic Love Revolution_ through its speakers.

"Guys, I think we've hit the jackpot!" Leah declared.

"Actually, we've gone one better than that!"

Before any of them could ask what Mawa meant, she had raced ahead to a booth and peeked around it.

"Mawa! What the hell are you doing here?" a male voice squawked.

"Could ask the same of you, Teruya!" Mawa grinned, before straightening up and gesturing to Minah, Leah and Ai.

Shaking her head with amusement, Minah walked over to see that Mawa's twin brother was sitting in the booth, along with Hiro from their class, and none other than Sho. The latter grinned broadly and leant back.

"Why, hello ladies, want to join us?" he asked, winking at them, though to Minah it seemed a little more directed at her.

"Oh my god, why? I'm already related to this one, in case you didn't notice!" Teruya mock-groaned, pointing to Mawa, who simply simpered prettily, blinking her wide purple eyes at the boys.

"Hey, come on, more the merrier, right?" Sho said.

"You're terrible, but there is always room in our life for pretty ladies, right?" Hiro said.

"Oh, come off it." Mawa said, blushing slightly.

With great groans, Teruya budged up while Sho and Hiro did so willingly, and the four girls took their seats. As Minah slid in next to Sho, the boy gave her another wink, more subtle this time but definitely aimed at her. Unsure of how to react to that, she smiled and nodded politely.

"So, have you ordered anything yet?" Leah asked.

"Nah, not yet."

"Coolio, we'll order with you." Mawa said.

"I'm not paying for it though!" Teruya declared hotly.

"Ah, don't worry, I'll treat the ladies!" Sho said smoothly.

"Oh, really? That's ever so kind of you, Nakajima-kun!" Ai said delightedly.

"Of course, of course."

"Geez, you're such a flirt!" Hiro laughed.

"Me, a flirt? Never!" Sho said, pretending to be wounded.

"It's fine, we love you anyway!" Mawa declared. "Right?"

Leah and Ai readily agreed, but Minah was a little cautious as she smiled. Not just because she felt that 'love' was a more serious word, for more serious relationships (romantic or otherwise), but because she noticed how Sho seemed to puff up slightly at the praise, and how he was mostly looking at her. She had a good inkling as to why, because they had a link that they didn't have with any of the others, but all the same.

They chatted for a while about inconsequential things, jumping from topic to topic with ease, breaking off only to examine the menus and then later on give their orders to a bored looking waitress.

"You know, we saw your class couple today." Teruya said after the waitress had left.

"Did we? Oh yeah, we did." Hiro said after a moment.

"You saw Grace-san and Murayama-kun?" Leah asked, agog. "Did they say hi to you, or were they lost in their own world as usual?"

This generated some sniggers from the boys and a few giggles from Mawa and Ai-Shuuhei Murayama and Emlyn Grace were very well known in Hope's Peak, particularly amongst the two 99th classes, for their lovey-dovey tendencies.

"Well, we were across the road from them so probably they wouldn't have seen us anyway," Hiro shrugged. "But they were looking in the window of a bridal store."

"A bridal store?!" Mawa and Leah spluttered in unison.

"Are you sure?!" Ai asked.

"Do you know anyone else who wears those fancy cloak deals?" Sho asked wryly.

"No….."

"Well, there you go."

"Emlyn Grace does not strike me as a suit guy. Or a wedding dress guy, for that matter." Ai said after a moment of flabbergasted silence.

"I'm more bowled over that they were looking at a bridal store." Mawa emphasised.

"Really? It's these two we're talking about." Teruya retorted.

"They could just be looking for the fun of it. We're still in high school, after all." Minah said reasonably. Though, knowing what she did about those particular classmates of her, it was entirely possible they were looking seriously.

"Pfff." Was the response from Mawa.

"What about you anyway, Kang?" Hiro asked suddenly. "Got any love interests on the horizon yet?"

"You're just hoping it'll be you." Ai told him smartly.

"No, I haven't." Minah said honestly and quickly, hoping to save them from any potentially awkward moments. "I want to focus on experiencing this school and Japanese culture as much as I can. I can worry about romance later, after I graduate."

 _And hopefully by then we'll have managed to make Hope's Peak change for the better._

"Oh?" Sho tilted his head curiously, grinning. "Not even interested in that boy who's always commenting on your social media?"

Minah sighed patiently, having had this question in many forms many times before.

"No, Nakajima-san. InSu's just a friend."

Sho simply rested his chin in his hand and raised an eyebrow at her. _What's that meant to mean,_ Minah wondered, feeling a little baffled.

"Can we talk about something other than romance now please?" Mawa complained. "I'm single and lonely, I don't need to be reminded of that fact."

"Sure, sister dearest." Teruya teased.

With that, they swiftly switched to talking about school-more specifically, the Izuru Kamukura birthday party in June that most of the school was excited about, and the recent riot.

"I feel like they got off pretty lightly, like, what the hell?" Teruya said.

"Well, suspensions for those who actually did something wrong is fair enough," Minah said instinctively. "But most of them didn't do anything wrong."

"Uh, yes they did? They were the ones causing a disturbance." Leah said.

"The protest was peaceful, though. There's nothing wrong with that."

Minah willed herself to sneak a look at Sho, but only a little. Should she ask him to speak up too? Would that be indiscreet? Or would something like this count towards their efforts? She took a breath, steeled herself. These were her friends, her classmates. She could do this. She straightened up and waited for what would be said next.

"Well, yeah, but they went crazy, caused a proper mess." Hiro added.

"Ehh, either way, some of those guards went overkill, you know? I saw some guard kick a student-that's not cool, is it?" Sho said, sudden but still somehow languid.

"I…guess you have a point there."

 _Oh, thank goodness._

She caught Sho's eye, and he winked at her, again. A clear signal of recognition. As subtly as she could, she nodded, but did not have to worry about being spotted, because at that moment, their orders arrived, and all talk of the riots was swiftly replaced with food chatter.

And finally, she could breathe.

* * *

 **Yes, the Chaotic Love Revolution referenced here is the Police Piccadilly song. What can I say? I'm trash for them. As you should well know. But anyway, this won't be on the playlist as I wouldn't really say the song is the theme of the chapter, nor does it really fit a wider theme/mood/character of the story. I literally just put it in because I could. So, yeah.**

 **Speaking of the playlist-you are welcome to suggest contributions to me as well. I can add them in when I next get the time and I will credit you-and hey, I may even find something new to enjoy.**

 **Anyway, as always, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please do leave feedback if you can!**


	22. Golden Week, part 4

"Oh, you're early."

Shino mock-grimaced at Sosuke, who simply gazed at them impassively. It did not surprise them to see that he was clad in a suit, even though it was Golden Week and they were essentially just hanging out. _Stuffy by nature, stuffy by appearance._

"I am early. Does that inconvenience you?"

Shino gave a huge sigh, then shook their head and opened the door wider to let Sosuke in.

"Nah, it's cool, just wasn't expecting it."

Once Sosuke had taken off his shoes, they led him to their living room area and gestured to the sofa, chairs and motley assortment of large items that could probably be sat upon without causing total disaster.

"So, yeah, sit wherever, and take the snacks if you want and I can get you a drink, and all that."

Shino waved dismissively at said assortment of snacks-the host/hostess thing really wasn't their thing at all-and sat down on a box while Sosuke went over to the sofa.

"Are you not going to take me to the panic room?" Sosuke asked mildly as he sat down.

"Uh, no." Shino rolled their eyes. "I'll take you all down, all at the same time."

"Ah, yes. I suppose that would be more convenient."

 _More prudent, too. I don't really trust you, Mr Smarmy._

Before there was a chance for an awkward silence to grow, the doorbell rang again and Shino sprang up to answer it. This time, Keiko was at the door, holding a large flat box in her arms and looking slightly nervous.

"Morning, Usui, you're early." Shino said. "What's that you got|?"

"Oh, nothing big, just some cupcakes from a bakery I passed on the way." Keiko blushed a little.

"Awesome stuff! Those'll be nice to have once we get going. Here, come in, come in."

Keiko stepped in, and just at that moment, Shino heard chatting voices somewhere behind her, so rather than close the door, they peered around it to see Sho, all loudly-coloured aviator goggles, ONE OK ROCK t-shirt and bracelets up to his elbows, accompanied by Minah and was leading the chatter by a long way, while the girls looked like they were just tolerating him. Hana was fiddling with her charm bracelet and looking rather wary, a look that didn't lessen when she noticed Shino was waiting for them.

"Yo!" Sho greeted when he got to the door. "This is exciting, isn't it?"

"It sure is!" Shino grinned. "You come in as well."

Shino ushered them in, and once she'd looked up and down to make sure no-one else was coming right behind the others, they closed the door.

"Are you alright?" Minah asked Keiko as the larger girl attempted to take off her sneakers while holding the large cupcake tray. "Do you need help?"

Shino noted with interest that Keiko seemed to blush a little more at Minah's attentions. _Well, who can't help but have a crush on the great Minah Kang?_ Even Shino, they who were not easily dazzled by claims of 'specialness' had to admit that lithe, elegant Minah in her crop top and leggings was really something to look at.

"I'm fine, really."

"Let me, I've taken my shoes off already." Minah said, carefully taking the cupcake case. "Hisakawa-san, where should I put Usui-sempai's tray?"

"Ah, just stick it on the table over there." Shino said casually.

They watched in interest as Minah took the tray and Keiko watched in admiration. Sho flopped himself on a beanbag, Minah sat on one of the chairs, and after some hesitation, Keiko sat on a chair next to her. Hana looked around the room for a long time before eventually settling down on an upturned box.

"We're not going down yet?" Sho asked.

"Nah, it's easier to wait until we're all here, right?"

"Ehhh, I suppose so. But now you're leaving me in suspense." Sho mock-pouted. "That isn't so nice of you."

"Haha, that's my true motive, didn't you know?" Shino laughed.

Sho laughed right back at that, and then the group made small talk for a little while as the others started to come. Azuki was the next to arrive, slinking in and glaring suspiciously, sitting himself as far from the others as possible (even though he too had bought treats for them-convenience store snacks, sure, but treats all the same). Then Mizuki and Mokomichi arrived at the same time, so in sync Shino was convinced they had come together all the way, though they both swore blind they'd only met at the bottom of the road. After that, it was Mihoko, whose high heeled boots Shino instantly adored. But it was Emiko, who arrived soon after that, who Shino had been looking forward to seeing the most.

And it was Emiko who made Shino laugh the most when she arrived, because she was holding Greg in her arms.

"Seriously?" Shino queried once they'd calmed down somewhat.

"Hey, he's part of the team, right?" Emiko said, shrugging. "It'd be cruel to leave him behind."

"It's cool, it's cool, come in!"

Shino escorted Emiko in, and the sight of Greg made the others laugh too. Emiko opted to sit down on the floor, releasing Greg and watching as he padded around curiously. Mihoko came to sit with Emiko and fuss over the cat, while Hana started to get up, and then hesitated.

"Hey, you should've bought Misty!" Emiko declared, noticing her.

"I…um…." Hana blinked, looking confused. "I didn't think of it...?"

"Oh well, bring her next time."

"Maybe…"

Hana gave another cautious look, then, tucking a lock of her pretty hair behind her ear and blushing slightly, she went to sit down with Mihoko and Emiko and fuss over the cat. Snacks got eaten, conversation flowed (more hesitantly from some), and at one point Shino found a packet of playing cards and started a game with Sho and Keiko, with Sosuke being the beady-eyed judge. The final few people left arrived, and then after giving them a moment to shed coats and settle down and the like, Shino stood up from where they had been sitting on a stool, and clapped their hands decisively.

"Alright everyone! Let's go down. Follow me, please."

Shino made a sweeping, dramatic bow, and tipped their (imaginary) beret, before leading them out of their small living room and to the spare room.

"Excuse the mess, I'm used to it so I barely notice it half the time."

Though, in all fairness to them, they had cleared a pathway of sorts amongst all of their junk and the junk the previous tenant had left behind so that the others wouldn't be picking their way through and possibly tripping over. Either way, Shino simply carried on until they got to the book case.

"Oh my god, it's behind a bookcase?" Sho exclaimed. "How very mystery novel!"

"How would you know?" Emiko asked cheekily.

"It does seem like that…." Yuna said cautiously, staring at the bookcase. "So, do you have to take the books out in a particular way, or…?"

"Hah, no, it's much simpler than that!" Shino proclaimed. "All you have to do is push it."

And they proceeded to do just that. It was a heavy bookshelf, but Shino was used to that-sure, it took a bit of time, huffing and puffing to move sufficiently to open the door, but they were no weakling so it wasn't a big deal. Which is why, as they were taking their time and huffing and puffing, they were surprised to realise two people had stepped behind them to aid with the pushing, making it move almost seamlessly.

"Thanks, whoever that was." Shino said absently as the bookshelf slid aside to reveal the door, which was of course code protected.

"Ah, no problem, Kouhai!" Kaneda said.

"Yes, not a problem at all." Minah added.

Shino nodded absently to acknowledge them, and punched in the code-11037- and swung the door open.

"Go straight in," they proclaimed, ushering them in.

They waited until the last person was inside, and then turned to pull the bookshelf back in place.

"Do you want help with that?" they heard Minah ask.

"Nah, it's cool. It's easier to move from this side, for some reason."

Shino finished with the bookshelf, then closed the door carefully behind them, and turned around to see everyone walking around, studying the room. Well, almost everyone. Azuki had settled himself on a beanbag, and Keiko was busy using a crate as a makeshift table to lay out her cupcakes and some of the snacks.

"The colour scheme's a bit sad, isn't it?" Kaneda remarked. "We should really repaint it, make it all happy."

Shino frowned at the plain grey walls and the bland darker-grey carpet. The only really colourful things were the things they'd put in to serve as seats.

"Ehh, maybe, if we're actually going to be using this space-speaking of which, what's the verdict?"

"It'll probably work, I think." Mizuki said after a moment. "It would be good if we could have a whiteboard or something, just so we have a running record of what we're doing. A storage space of some sort, too."

"Well, I have a crap ton of boxes and things, I can sort them out and that should do it for storage."

"What, like this one?"

 _What?_

Shino turned to see Sho pointing to a box that Greg had clambered up on. _I'd dumped all the boxes in the spare room, what's this….no, wait, I know what this one is? Don't tell me I forgot to put it away…_ but sure enough, the name they had tremblingly written across each face of the box was clear to them:

Eizan.

"What's in it, anyway?" Sho continued obliviously, shoving at it and causing Greg to mewl and jump off in consternation.

"Don't touch it!"

"I…what?"

"I said, don't touch it!" Shino half-growled, the words like thorns in their throat.

"Jeez!" Sho put his hands up in mock-surrender and got up, backing away from the box. "Chill, man!"

Shino simply glared, their feelings compounded by knowing that everyone was looking at them with questions in all their eyes. Questions that she did not want to answer, and that weren't their bloody business anyway. Not meeting any of those questioning gazes, Shino strode over, and picked up the box themselves, holding it protectively, one hand covering the name on one of the faces, as if protecting it- _Hah! As if I ever could have…_

"Colour scheme wise, this room could be worse."

Shino's head snapped up at that, and they looked at Mihoko in confusion. For her part, Mihoko just shrugged.

"It could be beige." Mihoko clarified, shuddering.

"Hah, I know…right?" Shino said, hating themselves for sounding shaky. "Beige is like the most generic colour _ever_."

"The office Principal Hinata resides in is beige." Sosuke remarked.

"That's _terrible_." Mihoko responded instantly.

"I know, right?" Emiko exclaimed while petting Greg.

"Not as terrible as other things, though." Yuna pointed out.

"Yes, indeed." Shino said quickly. "So, anyway, we were saying, storage and…what else?"

"A board of some sort." Mizuki clarified. "Somewhere we can put up project reminders and things. A table would be good, but certain kinds of storage could double up as a table."

"I have a spare corkboard-it's too large to go over my desk for schoolwork reminders." Mokomichi offered. "I could bring it by tomorrow maybe?"

"Fine by me." Shino shrugged.

"I feel like we should make that shelf a bit easier to move." Kumori said. "I understand its value in keeping things secret, but we don't want it to be impractical for us."

"I could try and figure something out." Kaneda offered.

"I'll help too. I'm…used to rearranging household furniture." Keiko offered.

"I've got some ideas too…." Hana offered.

"Well, that works out nicely, does it not?" Sosuke remarked.

Nobody answered him.

"So…what do you think, Teranaga?" Shino asked, raising a teasing eyebrow at Mizuki. "This good enough for you?"

Mizuki nodded soberly.

"Yes. As one of a few meeting spaces, this will work well. Thank you very much, Hisakawa-san."

Not sure how to respond to that, Shino went to sit down-still clutching the Eizan box for dear life, glaring at Kumori when he glanced at it even though they knew deep down that was unreasonable-and let Mizuki take centre stage.

 **…**

"Well," Mizuki began. "I don't think I need to explain why we're here today, or what exactly we're doing, as that was established already. Today is more about getting things into order, so we know exactly what we're all doing at this point in time. Is everyone happy with that?"

Keiko instantly put her hand up.

"Usui-san?"

"Should someone take notes? Given we don't have a pin-board yet?"

"Oh, yes."

Mizuki went to her bag and pulled out the notebook she had honestly forgotten about until now.

"Do you have a pen?"

"I do, thanks."

"Alright. If you have things to contribute, speak up. You don't just have to focus solely on taking notes." Mizuki said before resuming her position.

"If you want a break, ask me." Mihoko offered.

Mizuki acknowledged this with a nod, and then once Keiko had opened the notebook to the first page, she started.

"So, we've managed to soften the worst of the consequences of the riots so far, in that there aren't any blanket fee reductions or expulsions. I've also managed to get the Principals to formally discipline the security guards and make some payments towards damages incurred. Kurogane-san has also been leading some of the students who did cause some of the mess to start cleaning up."

"Kagane-sempai has, too." Kumori interjected.

"Oh yes, of course." Mizuki said.

"That's good." Minah says. "I noticed that things were looking better around the worst areas the other day."

"I did, too." Keiko remarked as she jotted notes.

"Yes, I have to acknowledge that I did, too." Sosuke nodded.

"That should satisfy your need to make it clear to Reserve Course students that they 'can't get away with things' too." Shino retorted directly to him.

Mizuki waited with bated breath. Shino's voice was still spiky, and their grip on the box was so tight that their knuckles were white. But Sosuke seemed to be determined to ignore them, so Mizuki nodded on.

"With that being said, that doesn't mean we can just put the riot behind us. We all need to be more vigilant, as I've noticed that certain Main Course students are using the atmosphere that the riots produced as an excuse to harass Reserve Course students more than usual. "

"So, basically, they should just all be careful." Mihoko asked sardonically.

"Well, yes, vigilance is necessary, but I think we all have a responsibility to look out for each other, and for others, as far as is possible."

Mizuki looked around at everyone. Some, she knew, would be far less likely to intervene than others. Others, more likely to go above and beyond. Either way, she had to make sure that all of them were doing _something_. Anything, as long as it was not turning a blind eye.

"That could even be going to get an adult, or another one of us. I wouldn't expect you to actually fight them, unless you felt like you could."

"Though I am willing to teach some basic skills for self-defence, if anyone wants it." Minah offered.

"Yes, I am, too!" Kaneda agreed.

Greg mewled on cue, almost as if in agreement, and this raised a couple of chuckles.

"You could also go for the charm offensive if you're not that much of a fighter." Emiko added, swishing her hair and winking as if to make her point.

"Hell yeah!" Sho cackled.

This raised a few smiles, including a wary one from Shino, though she still looked a bit like a wild cat ready to pounce. Somewhat ironic, considering the actual, very docile cat, who was currently in the room with them, padding around completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

"Well, there we go." Mizuki said. "The point is, I expect all of us-and that includes me-to actually do something. Not just be a bystander, or try and excuse it away, or anything like that. "

"None of us would do that though, surely?" Keiko asked, looking up from the notes.

"I would like to hope not, but all the same, I'd like it stated for the record that that's something we are going to do. "

"Fair enough." Mokomichi shrugged.

"Hopefully if others see us doing something, then they might be motivated to as well." Minah said.

"Would they?" Yuna asked.

"Humans mimic each other, it's how we work out what's right or wrong. Or what will get us in the least trouble, at least." Azuki spoke up suddenly, sardonically. "Nobody wants to be the tall poppy, so if they see that they won't stand out….or something like that. Who knows?"

"No, that's exactly it." Mizuki said. "I know that for some of you this seems like common sense, but all the same, it needs to be said. We don't wa-"

Mizuki paused. She had been about to say, _we don't want any more secrets_ , but how could she say that? When she knew for sure that one hadn't been exposed, that there were others still.

"What about us?" Mokomichi asked.

Mizuki blinked, and looked at him. He simply waited, but Mizuki could swear there was something there. As if he'd known what she was thinking. It seemed impossible, until she recalled the quiet moments cleaning the graveyard, the tranquillity under the willow tree. _But even so…_

"Well, self-defence skills wise, we already have two people you can all go to for help." Mizuki said.

"But I was thinking I would hand that over to you. I no longer know what everyday life in the Reserve Course looks like, even with regular visits. But you live it, so anything you know would help your classmates, year mates and so on, please do so. Kurogane-san and Kaneda-sempai, I know that you are both fixtures in the course, so perhaps you could lead in that regard."

"Fixtures. Yeah, that's one way of putting it." Shino chortled.

 _Well, at least they seem more themselves…._

"Of course, we'd be happy to do things! Anything for all my lovely kouhai, right, Kurogane-kun?"

"I…well?"

"What's wrong?"

It was Yuna who asked this of Kumori, surprisingly, blushing slightly as she did so. Kumori also seemed a little ruffled as he glanced over at Yuna, before looking back at Mizuki and sighing.

"After what happened, am I really a good choice for a leader? I want to make things better for us, but…"

"Your original intention was peaceful protest." Mizuki reminded him.

"Yes…"

"And I've heard about how you've played an instrumental role in a lot of group projects in your year group."

"Yes…"

"So, you are more than capable." Mizuki told him. "The fact your peaceful protest became a riot has nothing to do with you or your capabilities, but I don't want you to make it stop you from actually succeeding in making a change."

"Though I would not recommend organising another protest any time soon." Sosuke pointed out. "You were not identified as one of the trouble makers in this instance, but next time you might not be so lucky."

"He wasn't identified because _he wasn't one,_ which we've just established." Shino retorted.

Sosuke's pursed lips suggested he did not agree with this, but Mizuki put her hand up to halt any argument about it, especially as Kumori was now looking pale and nervous.

"We certainly won't be holding protests in a traditional sense. However, all our actions will, in some way, serve as a protest. At this point, are there any queries relating to what we've just talked about?"

"Just a quick one," Keiko put her hand up politely. "But would logging any incidents we see be doing something? Especially as the aim is, presumably, to have evidence to confront the Principals with so they can do things?"

"Oh, and what about public view, I just thought of this!" Emiko exclaimed.

Caught short by this sudden outburst, Mizuki considered them both, before she eventually decided to turn to Emiko.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, taking this from personal experience, people can get pretty precious about big important names and institutions and all that crap."

Emiko gave a heavy sigh as if to accurately convey her disdain for it all, despite the fact that she was a big important name. Mizuki raised an eyebrow, and waited.

"So, basically, it's all very well our little renegade group doing stuff, but as long as Hope's Peak is such a celebrated name, it might be hard to get the wider attitudes to change in school."

"Ah, we would have come onto that eventually, but we can talk about that now." Mizuki nodded. "Sawada-san, would you like to take over?"

She was treated to a bright blue glare as Azuki huddled where he was. A moment passed, and just as Mizuki was about to ask him again, he spoke up.

"I don't have to come up to the front or anything like that?" he muttered.

"As long as we can all hear you, stay where you are." Mizuki sighed.

"Here, drink something, it'll calm any jitters." Keiko interjected quickly, picking up a juice and handing it to Azuki.

For his part, he poked at it suspiciously and glared at Keiko for a moment before he sighed and snatched it, muttering something in what Mizuki assumed was French before speaking.

"So, basically, she wants me to do some videos about Hope's Peak's history to sort of run concurrent with the documentaries they're putting out- but without airbrushing it. So including the not-so-pretty aspects of the history. And also to run some interviews that aren't aiming to get people to talk about how amazing Hope's Peak is. And blah, blah, blah."

"You are not concerned under the circumstances?" Sosuke asked calmly.

Azuki turned around to glower viciously at Sosuke, and though he didn't shrug off the comforting hand Keiko put on his shoulder, it was not enough to stop his outburst.

"OF COURSE I want to be murdered by a bunch of creepy dudes in a lab coat. No, _stupid_ , I would VERY MUCH LIKE to STAY ALIVE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. But A: Hope's Peak are oppressive and I actually _care_ about that? And B: This one is _relentless_. I wouldn't _be_ here if it wasn't for her going on at me all the fucking time. So yeah. Videos. If you wanna contribute, ask her to tell me. Otherwise, I'm not suddenly open to being followed around school like you're a creepy fan, got it?"

"I'm hurt." Emiko said, mock-pained. "I thought you liked your fans."

"That was a bit uncalled for, too…." Yuna muttered.

"Yes, yes, we are all on the same side here, remember!" Kaneda hurriedly said. "Let's not fight."

"It is also beside the point. We will not be posting Sawada-san's footage public at this time. However, I will be keeping a hold of it, as it may serve as ammunition in the future. But I am hoping it won't come to that." Mizuki said, quickly.

There was a moment of silence. They all looked at each other, wary and unsure. But on some faces, there was resolve. Even excitement. _Good._

"Should we take a break now?" Keiko suggested. "I think it makes sense for us to all have a chance to refresh."

"Yes." Mizuki nodded decisively. "Alright then. Let's take ten minutes, and then we'll keep going."

 **…**

After the break, with Mihoko taking the meeting notes this time, Mizuki talked them through some of her Hope's Peak related philanthropic projects, and they discussed the issue of security cameras in particular detail. Kumori raised the point that it was worth examining the Main Course too, as some people may felt constrained by the heavy emphasis on talent over all else. This, too, provoked debate and more than a few people almost coming to blows, but Mizuki decided it was something worth revisiting later. For now, they would mostly focus on the Reserve Course. She was hoping that when some positive changes took hold, they would have a knock on effect in other areas of the school. Shino kept making comments about Hope's Peak's history and the 'counter documentaries' (as they and Emiko had dubbed Azuki's videos) and eventually, Mizuki agreed that yes, they could be in charge of digging out information of interest from the school. As long as they were careful. Eventually, they had enough action points, and a plan of action to take them through at least the first term.

"So," she concluded. "Are there any final issues I might not have thought to bring up?"

"A mascot." Sho said instantly.

"A…mascot?" she echoed back, baffled.

"Yeah, we were just chatting about it earlier." Sho indicated to Mokomichi and Kaneda. "All good crews have a mascot, so we need one too, right."

Mizuki was not quite sure how to process this, not least the fact that Mokomichi had been openly talking to Sho. So she had noticed it when they were taking their break, but the fact they had actually had a proper conversation and come to an agreement. _Wow._

"Uh, is that not a mascot?" Azuki pointed to Greg, currently curled up in Keiko's lap.

"Greg's a part of the crew!" Emiko protested. "Also, he's a he!"

"I, well…."

"I,um….I could design something?"

This hesitant offer came from Hana, who looked prepared to have her offer rejected.

"Oh yeah, you're an artsy type, aren't ya?" Sho asked. "Please do that!"

"Yeah, that'd actually be cool!" Shino said. "Make it official, like!"

"I'm all for it too!" Emiko and Kaneda said, not quite in unison but nonetheless together enough to make them both cackle.

Hana blushed, going wide eyed, and Mizuki shook her head in bemusement.

"Well, if you want a mascot then, go for it. We can have a mascot."

The cheers this produced, even though it was from a fraction of them, proved deafening. Mizuki could not help but laugh too.

 _I think this really will work, after all._

 **…**

Mizuki followed Hinata into his office, closing the door behind her. Hinata went to sit behind his desk, but Mizuki stood by the door, collecting herself.

"Do sit down, Teranaga-san." He invited.

Mizuki stepped away from the door and walked up to one of the beige (for a moment, she had a image of Mihoko vehemently disapproving of the beige flash up in her head, and it would have made her laugh if not for the reason she was here) armchairs by the desk, but hesitated. Sitting was comfortable, but what she was here for was not.

"I'll stand for now, thank you." She said, simply.

"Alright. Feel free to change your mind." Hinata nodded. "So, what is the mater you wished to discuss with me? Is it an issue with your donations?"

Mizuki did not respond at first. Despite essentially spending the weekend psyching herself up to finally, finally ask about this, when it came right down to it…

 _I don't want to hear it. But, I need to._

Mizuki swallowed, and then, as resolute as she could be, spoke:

"The Parade."

 _There._ Hinata's eyes flared, ever so slightly. His shoulders seemed to stiffen, his hands tensed, and he took a moment longer than he should have to respond.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I think you are aware, Principal Hinata." Mizuki responded. "After all, it happened while you were a student here."

"2010, my second year…" Hinata murmured, looking far away for a moment. Then, abruptly, his gaze snapped back into the present, searing straight into Mizuki.

"How did you hear of this?"

"That's not your concern." Mizuki said automatically. "But even if I didn't know the name, I think the census records for the school would have painted a pretty grim picture. Only 15 of the third year students on the Reserve Course that year graduating? Over two thirds of the cohort mysteriously gone by the end of that year, and just over half of those listed as having died that year? Those statistics are damning."

"That…is a dark chapter of Hope's Peak's history. Nobody is supposed to know of it."

"Well, that much is clear." Mizuki snapped. "But why?"

Hinata's mouth thinned. Mizuki waited, not taking her eyes off of him. _Please, explain yourself, Principal Hinata. There has to be an explanation that can at least be understood, if not forgiven._ Even this admission was enough confirmation of what Shino had said, back in the graveyard, but 'enough confirmation' was not enough for her.

"Why, Principal Hinata?" She repeated when she got no response.

"It is just better that way." He eventually responded, voice wooden, gaze absent. "It's better for Hope's Peak's welfare"

There was something about the look that made Mizuki think of Mokomichi, avoiding the gravestone of Shouta Takahata. But she could not feel any sympathy because of it, could not show any concern.

"And how, exactly, has that worked out for you?"

Again, there was no answer, just a steely gaze. Hinata seemed to be coming back into himself a little, now. But still, in some ways, a stranger.

"If it hadn't stopped on time, the riots we've just had could have been a repeat of that tragedy." Mizuki insisted. "You recognised that, right?"

"Nobody died in this riot, there wasn't anything to worry about in that regard." Hinata said. "And between you and us, it has been handled in much a better way than…back then."

"I am still of the opinion you could have done more. Those riots did not occur in a vacuum, and I am sure 'The Parade' did not either."

"No, but things have come on further since then. There have been a lot of positives-after all, we've reached 100 years. That is something to celebrate." Hinata said, stiffly.

"Not like this, Principal Hinata." Mizuki hissed. "Weren't some of those people your friends? Your classmates?"

There was a flicker of something in Hinata's eyes. He bit his lips, making him look like the teenager he had been once. The scared teenager he must have been back then. Like her, but also not like her. Hinata took a deep breath, then picked up a photograph on his desk, looked at it, before placing it back down, though not in the same place or angle. Mizuki caught a glance of it-two little girls, sitting on their parents' laps, dark haired and pink-brown eyed. Hinata's gaze lingered on it a moment longer before he looked back up at her, seeming almost normal.

"It's better for everyone if nobody knows. Safer, too."

 _Those aren't your words. They can't be._ Yet, Hinata was saying them, with no hint of hesitation or regret. He was convinced of his own righteousness, even though it undoubtedly had been swayed. Mizuki could not help think about what Azuki had been through. _Could something similar be going on here?_ Is that why he had looked to the picture of his daughters before answering her?

 _But…_

"Is it right, though?"

Hinata considered her for a moment. Mizuki waited, breath bated, hoping.

"It is how things must be. I would appreciate it if you did not make The Parade a widely known incident. It is bad enough that you, and clearly some others-" Hinata paused, his eyes widening momentarily as he thought.

"Teranaga-san, if you could, do invite whoever told you about this matter to come and have a chat with me. It is very important that we keep things, contained." He eventually said.

"I will do no such thing," Mizuki said. "And if that is all you have to say on the matter, then I am going to consider this discussion finished for now."

 _Just the discussion, though._ Intensely glad that she had not sat down, Mizuki turned swiftly and strode briskly out of the room. She heard Hinata say something, but she did not look back.

She _couldn't_ look back.


	23. I Giorni

The afternoon had been going well. From the way Yuna had described her fellow Main Course students, he'd wondered if any of them would have even been interested in seeking love advice from someone they referred to as a 'Prude Princess' (not that Yuna was that, not at all. Unless a Prude Princess was someone who knew what she believed in and stuck to it, but still, he was sure there were nicer ways of wording that). Yet, though this was only the fourth session they'd been running, they'd had a slow yet very steady stream of people coming in to see them. Some had been repeat visitors, and a few today had been recommended by the repeat visitors, like Taki Ichihara, the cheerful, sawdust covered SHSL Carpenter who was now getting up and reaching over to shake their hands.

 _There really are some nice Main Course students. Of course, I knew that anyway, from Yorokobi-sama, and the group. But the fact there are more…perhaps we will actually be able to make a difference. Oh, I do so hope we will._

"Yeah, thanks guys," he said, shaking Kumori's hand really hard. "That actually really helped. "

Yuna blushed furiously when Taki shook her hand.

"It's not a problem. We're glad to be of service. I wish you luck in your romantic endeavours."

"Endeavours, huh? That sounds such a grand word for, but then again, Fukuda-san's a grand girl."

"She certainly does sound like it." Kumori said.

Taki beamed at this.

"Yes, so do make sure you remember what I told you, whether or not she accepts your confession." Yuna said. "And if you need more advice in matters of romance, such as setting up a first date, then please do arrange another appointment."

"Roger that! See you all later."

Taki rushed out, and the small clubroom became oddly silent. Yuna scribbled some notes down and then turned to look at Kumori. Her eyes were sparkling.

"I think that went very well, don't you think?"

"It certainly seemed to. He seemed receptive to making things work with this girl, though I wondered if perhaps, considering that they are a TEP pairing, we should have encouraged him to take things slowly?"

"I always encourage people to be slow, to not rush into things, especially if they only care about the sex and not the actual romance." Yuna said hotly.

"Oh no, no, no, I don't mean to say you gave the wrong instructions, and of course, you are right in saying that, but I meant…if it went wrong, would they still be able to work together under the TEP?"

"Oh."

Yuna thought about this, then clasped her hands together.

"Well, I like to believe that with proper effort put into a relationship, then no matter whether it remains romantic or not, it will still work."

"That sounds good to me." Kumori said. "In all truth and honesty, I cannot say I really know what I am talking about here. You are the true expert."

"Not really. There is still so much more I need to learn about the world."

"I suppose the same could be said for all of us, couldn't it?" Kumori mused.

"Yes, yes, we all need to learn!" Yuna said enthusiastically. "I am learning more about my peers and their attitudes, and I am sure you are learning too. And I believe I have been learning from you, too. After all, you're giving me different perspectives to think about. And I don't need to be worried about any boys deciding to try anything weird, if you are around."

As someone who had grown up in what could be described as a female-dominated household at best, Kumori wasn't sure if he actually was any use around other males. But he nodded and smiled. What was important was that Yuna was happy.

"Aha, well, I am always happy to be of help."

The smile Yuna gave in response only made him more pleased. _I'm really glad I am here and doing this,_ he thought. He wasn't sure what he had expected from the TEP, but it certainly had not been this happiness.

"U-um, hello?"

A girl had poked her head around the door.

"Are you free now?"

"Yes, yes!"

Kumori leapt up and went to open the door for her, ushering her in.

"Come in, take a seat, and Yorokobi-sama will start you off."

 _Yes, I'm glad I am here._

 **…**

After a little while, things went quiet. They discussed different things they could do with their service, including perhaps making their own leaflets or website with an FAQ, to really seem like a proper consultation service. And when they ran out of ideas, they made small talk. Kumori talked a little about his family, though keeping it only to the safe topics such as his relationship with his favourite sister Hoshiko, and Yuna eagerly talked about her parents, two brothers and grandmother, and all the different things they did at church. Apart from with Hoshiko, or with Riko, it was one of his more easy-going conversations. _This is nice,_ he thought _, really, really-_

His happy thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the club room door swinging open and someone tumbling in.

"What on earth?" Kumori and Yuna exclaimed, almost in unison.

Kumori got up, and the figure straightened themselves up and looked him in the eye.

"Riko-kun?" he exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

Riko's just laughed, bitterly. Her eyes were dry, but they were red, and he could see drops of water caught in her eyelashes. The bags underneath them seemed deeper than they had the day before.

"I'm done with all this, seriously. Hope's Peak can go fuck itself."

Behind him, Yuna sucked in a gasp.

"Did something happen?" Kumori persisted. "Are you meant to be in class?"

"No, I have a free slot for _Talent Development_." Riko said, as if this was a bad term. "Or in my case, glorify this gilded birdcage of hell time. Also, nothing happened. That's the problem. It's all just more of the same."

 _Ah, it's the celebratory essay. Or maybe her parents are putting pressure on her._

"Take a break, Riko-kun…." Kumori suggested hesitantly.

"That's why I'm here." Riko said in exhausted exasperation, brushing hair away from her forehead and making a slight growl of frustration.

Kumori blinked at that, and then he put it together. _Oh. But that leaves me in a bind_. He could never say no to a friend, never mind a friend who clearly needed him as much as Riko did right now. On the other hand, he had an obligation here to Yuna. And even if he hadn't had that obligation, he wanted to stay just as much as he wanted to go.

The moment stretched as they all stood in their respective places, Yuna twiddling her fingers nervously, Riko trembling with emotion. It was the latter who bent first.

"Can't I just stay here?" Riko asked, in a whisper.

"I….Yorokobi-sama? That's okay, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"May Riko-kun take some time to recover here? She won't disturb us, I'm sure."

"I…." Yuna frowned prettily, considering.

"Oh, forge-"

"No, Riko-kun, don't…..please, Yorokobi-sama?"

Yuna looked at him in surprise, and after a long and painful moment, nodded.

"Very well then."

 **…**

Eventually, when things had quietened down enough, Yuna decided that was the perfect point to wrap things up, and told Kumori so.

"Yes, I agree. We've worked hard today, I think."

"Mhm. Let's get our paperwork organised then, so we can work out our next steps for the booked appointments." Yuna said as she went to change the sign on the door from 'The Love Surgery is OPEN' to 'The Love Surgery is CLOSED'.

"Yes, of course." Kumori said, before then murmuring something she didn't catch.

When she turned back around, she saw him kneeling next to a girl sitting in the corner of the room pensively. It took her a moment to remember that this was Riko Izumi, Kumori's friend- _or maybe his….no, it cannot be-_ who had burst in so unceremoniously earlier. She didn't seem that much happier than she had been at that point.

"Um…are you alright now?" Yuna asked.

Riko simply sighed, and got up.

"Riko-kun, you don't need to go just yet!" Kumori scrambled to say. "I'm sure we won't take long and then…"

Kumori trailed off, looking worried. He looked over at Yuna, almost as if he were asking her permission to do something. She didn't know why, and she didn't know what, but what troubled her even more was that she felt pleased that he was looking to her. _If they are more than friends, then it would be the right thing to do, to help them. So…_

"Perhaps we could take a short break first. "

"Yes, yes, that's a good idea. Thank you, Yorokobi-sama!" Kumori said in relief. "Riko-kun, what do you wish to do?"

Riko gave Kumori a long look, but did not initially answer. One moment went by, and then another, and Yuna started to feel awkward, when _finally_ :

"Play us the piano."

"What? No, no, I couldn't…." Kumori said, clearly startled.

"You play the piano?" Yuna asked, curiously.

"Not very well, but I do, yes."

"Tch, not very well, what bollocks." Riko snorted.

Yuna sucked in a breath at the language-though really, she should have become desensitised to it by now-and she imagined Kumori, carved-marble Kumori with his poise and long hair sitting at a piano, fingers dancing over the notes, beautiful music filling the room. It made sense to her, that he'd be a pianist.

"I'd love to hear you play." Yuna said.

Kumori stared at her for a moment, and then his shoulders sagged.

"Alright then."

 **…**

It turned out that Kumori did know the way to the Music Room, having been there a couple of times with Riko. Yuna managed to persuade herself it was unladylike to be jealous when she had staked no claim when she heard this, and instead remained as calm and demure as possible.

"Ladies first." Kumori said with a little bow, reaching for the door and pulling it open.

The way he stood and ushered them in with a hand gesture made Yuna think of a butler. A particularly dashing, suave butler…. _oh stop it!_ Yuna scurried in, noting that the room was currently unoccupied but still ducking her head slightly to hide the blush, and found a chair near the side of the room to sit on. Riko, dragging her feet, came and sat next to Yuna, though she did not look at or acknowledge her in any way.

Kumori closed the door quietly behind him, and walked over to the gleaming grand piano, and sat at it. He ran his fingers over the keys, experimentally, and then he took a deep breath, and began to play.

The music swept over them, simple and serene, but somehow powerful too. Yuna at first felt the impulse to close her eyes, but soon found herself opening them and watching Kumori play. She took in every aspect of his features, the expression he had while playing, the motion of his fingers. And all the while, she was swept away. It was quite a shock when she realised that the piece had finished, but straight away Kumori launched into another one that she vaguely recognised as an arrange of a pop song that had come out recently, and then another she didn't recognise at all, before circling back to playing the first song again.

And then he finished, and stood up, giving a quick bow. Yuna clapped, as loud as she could. Riko joined in, too.

"You are so good, Kurogane-san!" Yuna gushed, standing up and clasping her hands together. "That was….that was….. _beautiful_."

 _And oh, my heart._

"Thank you, Yorokobi-sama. Riko-kun, are you alright now?"

Yuna turned to look at Riko, who did not seem particularly alright to her, even with the small smile that now graced her face. The older girl sighed, and got up.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks for that, Kumori. I'd better be off now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. The essay's still waiting for me, after all. Just delaying the inevitable. I'll see you for your next study session, alright?" Riko sighed.

"Oh, let me get the door for you!"

Kumori scurried to the door, but Riko's steps were still slow. Yuna stiffened as she went past her, then startled when Riko turned to her, studying her with a sharp gaze before suddenly leaning in and whispering.

"Take care of him."

"Wha-?"

But Riko sped up after that, and was soon ushered out by Kumori. He stayed at the door a moment, presumably watching Riko as she walked down the corridor, and then turned and went back to Yuna.

"I…well, thank you very much for that. I know it was intrusive but…."

"No no, it was fine. She didn't interfere, otherwise I would have kicked her out, but it's clear she was upset about something. Do…do you know what?"

"Not as such," Kumori sighed, his expression downcast. "She's got a lot of Talent related things she is struggling with, and she is in the Student Council too."

"Ah." Yuna said, not sure what to say. "She…confides in you a lot?"

"Well, we are friends, but she hasn't said much recently. I just know that…she's struggling. And I do try my best to help, but these days she doesn't let me."

"Well, at least you are trying. That is the mark of true loyalty. You're a good friend, Kurogane-san."

"I….I sure hope so."

"Is…is Izumi-sempai just a friend?"

Yuna hated herself for asking, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt she had to know.

"Huh? Of course. Why do you ask?"

"No particular reason. Just thinking perhaps I could offer support if that was the case, but since it isn't that doesn't matter."

"Oh."

Internally, Yuna was jumping for joy. But she found herself recalling Riko's whispered words. _Take care of him._ What did that mean? Why her? And was that what she had even said? _What do I do…?_

"Anyway," Yuna said "We should go back and finally sort out our paperwork for the day, shouldn't we?"

"You are right, Yorokobi-sama."

And so they both walked out of the Music Room together, and Yuna tried her best to think only of the Love Surgery and the tasks that required completion. But still, the words rang in her head.

 _Take care of him._

 **…**

Mokomichi had been so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice the boys (and the girl) at first. But once they were circling, they were impossible to ignore.

"Whatcha doing over on Main Course territory?" the sole girl said, chewing bubble-gum slowly.

 _Presumably that is supposed to intimidate me?_ He sighed, wishing he could just walk past them and pretend they weren't there. Unfortunately, they had formed a circle.

"I'm having a TEP meeting. Do you want proof?" he asked, trying to sound as bored and un-intimidated as possible. Which wasn't too hard.

"And how would we know you haven't made up the proof, hmm? You wannabes would do anything!" a boy said.

"Exactly, exactly." The bubble-gum girl said languidly.

"Maybe we should just sort him out right here and now, innit?"

Mokomichi held back a laugh as this boy actually cracked his knuckles, and the others broke their circle to form a-presumably menacing-line formation in front of him. But the main reason he didn't laugh was because this farce was not nearly as much of a joke as it had looked. He'd seen lots of his classmates arrive to school with bruises, others overtired from arriving at first light to avoid encounters like this. Others yet again had arrived barely on time (if even that) for the same reason. The others in their group had shared stories of other encounters, whether they had seen, been involved in, or had tried to intervene in them. _I need to be careful, basically._

"Ah, ah, ah, lets wait, yeah. Who's the dude seeing?" the boy who had called him a 'wannabe' asked.

Since he wasn't being directly addressed, Mokomichi waited patiently. The girl snapped her gum and glared at him.

"Well?"

"Mizuki Teranaga."

The name in his mouth felt akin to a sword in his hands, even though these particular Main Course students did not particularly like the sorts to interest themselves in charity. Then again, Main Course students were Main Course students. Either way, he felt stronger, as if things could go this way.

"Who the fuck?" Knuckle-cracker asked.

"Oh, the chick in first year!" another boy exclaimed. "Yo, Kishi, do you know her?"

"Oh yes, the former wannabe." The girl said. "She's our class rep and this sounds like the exact sorta thing she'd do. Nii-nii says she's always bringing up the Reserve Course in meetings-like anyone cares."

 _She does. She really does._ At this point, most of his doubts were simply him being stubborn. But to see someone who clearly hated his side essentially vouch for her. _Well…._

 _But,_ a little voice asked cheekily, _you don't need much convincing at this point, do you?_

Mokomichi resolutely ignored the little voice and stared at the group of Main Course students, again trying to sound as bored as possible when he spoke.

"Teranaga will be expecting me, can I go now?"

"Kishi?"

"Sumi-Chan?"

The other boys simply looked at the girl silently, and it took a moment for her to respond.

"Teranaga-san would probably make a fuss if we messed up her precious TEP kid so….lets go look for someone else to….banish."

And just like that, they walked away, freeing Mokomichi's path. He did not hesitate, walking as fast as he could to get away from them. But still, he could not help but look over his shoulder every so often. Once he actually got to the agreed meeting point, he let out a long breath to see that Mizuki was already there.

"Morning." He said casually as he approached her. "Been waiting long?"

"Oh, no, not at all. How are you?"

"I'm fine, but I think we should go to the gate to get Otsuki-Chan."

Mokomichi blinked, having not expected himself to say that. But now he was thinking about it, that was the thing to do. He had managed fine against the bubble-gum girl and her goonies, but who knew what someone like Hana would do against them, or anyone similar.

"Yamashita-kun?"

Mokomichi quickly explained what had happened, and Mizuki's expression darkened.

"That sounds like Sumi Kishitani. She's my year's Lucky Student. And she's also Masao Kishitani's little sister. "

"Meaning if you tell on her she'll go whining to her 'Nii-nii'." Mokomichi guessed.

"Yes, but that won't stop me."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you." Mokomichi blurted out.

Mizuki was about to say something, but then stopped, and considered him for a moment.

"I would hope so." She said eventually.

They remained in silence for a moment, looking at each other, something meaningful in the atmosphere around them. A slight breeze picked up locks of their hair, ruffled their clothes, and then dropped them as it faded abruptly.

And just like that, the moment had gone. But somehow, Mokomichi knew there would be more like that. _Or maybe, it is just that I am hoping for them?_

"Well, I don't think I'll be effective for now, considering that. But yes, I will make a complaint and talk to Kishitani-san. For now though, let's go get Otsuki-san."

"Yes, lets."

* * *

 **The title of this chapter is a piece by a composer called Ludovico Einaudi. I think it means 'The Days' or something. But anyway, it's meant to be the first and last piece that Kumori plays in that scene where he is at the piano. The piece is on my playlist, though I can't remember if I put the link or not. If I haven't, I will eventually.**

 **Anyway, hope you like the chapter!**


	24. Blind Eye

**I would reccomend you proceed through this chapter with caution. If you want to know why, scroll down to the bottom of the chapter first and read the author's note there before beginning.**

 **Also while this isn't the worst thing that will happen in this fic now seemed as good a time as any to change the rating**

* * *

Deciding to tackle the situation head-on, Emiko turned around at the sound of the footsteps.

"Why hello there." She said cheerily, pretending the main course boy wasn't looking at her somewhat stonily.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Um, to school?"

"…"

"What, you're one of those Main Course students who think I shouldn't be here?" Emiko laughed.

"Well, if you already know, then what are you doing here?"

"Aw, you wound me?" Emiko pouted, making a point of looking deep into his eyes. "I thought you were a lot more enlightened than that. You look the type."

The boy paused at that. Emiko made a point of smiling beatifically for a moment as he processed what she had said. He wasn't bad looking-very tall, muscular, tanned even features and neat hair, but not her type by any means. Still, she could play the game as well as any person that way inclined if it got her out of what could be an awkward situation at best. When the boy didn't seem to have a response, she simply brightened her smile, flicked her hair, and walked away.

"Oi, Reserve Course bitch, I didn't say you could walk away?"

Emiko pretended to ignore him for a moment, and then spun back around again.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought we had finished. "

"No, we hadn't. What makes you think you get to strut around as if you have the right to be here?"

"Oh, but I do."

Emiko stepped forward, closer to the boy, and lowered her eyes, peering out of her lashes as she spoke.

"You used your talent, whatever it may be, and I used my money. But in the end, we both earnt our way here. Don't you agree?"

Again, silence as the boy processed. Expressions flickered across his face as he stared at her, his cheeks reddening slightly. She straightened, looked him in the eye, and stepped back.

"Oh, I'm sure you do, if you are oh-so-talented, as I'm sure you must be." She said eventually, to fill in the silence. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to get to my school building. It was nice to talk to you, bye now."

 _That should do it, he seemed flustered enough._ It would have been easy to whip out her family name, but she was sort of trying to not do that. _Because I'm more than a family name, I am my own person too. Or, hopefully, I will be soon. Just got to bide my time, keep wai-_

Emiko gasped as someone gripped her wrist tightly, and pulled her roughly, slamming her side against the wall of the West Building. She twisted and managed to turn so her back was against the wall, and looked into the eyes of the boy. They were narrow and angry, and burning with lust. But if it was simply lust alone, she could have dealt with it, deflected it. This lust was blended with hate.

A breath caught in her throat. _Now what?_ She hadn't been expecting this. _Maybe I just need to keep on._

"Um," she asked, trying for demure. "Could you let go ple-"

"You asked for this."

The boy let go of her wrist, but before she could use the opportunity to try and wriggle away, he pinned her to the wall with his body.

"You asked for this, Reserve Course bitch, with all your swanning around and fluttering eyelashes and that look you were giving me."

Emiko tried to get free, but despite not being a weakling, she couldn't get away, because in comparison to him, she was small. So small, and his weight and the obscenities that he was now whispering near her ear were squashing her further. There wasn't any way that she could manoeuvre.

 _Unless…_

"You do realise who I am, don't you?" she tried to say, imperiously. "I'm Emiko Shishikane, and my father would be displeased if he knew you were…doing this to his beloved daughter and heir."

Actually, she wasn't so sure about that. He'd be displeased sure, but apart from that….

"Oh, come on. You don't really want to be so vulgar, when we could just have fun if-"

A hand snaked up her shirt, and she stiffened. Her hands were pinned against the wall, by her sides, or she'd try to push him off. If she could move her legs, she could perhaps try to knee him between his legs. _If….if….I'm just making excuses. I'm just stuck, aren't I? But surely, on school grounds, he wouldn't actually try…._

She let out a soft gasp as the boy started to fiddle with the buttons on her shirt with one hand, the other hand moving to the waistband of her skirt. She wriggled, helplessly, hating herself for it. Not wanting to look at him, she looked out around her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw people walk past, a few seemingly pausing. There were sniggers around her, but she didn't know if they were just fleeting laughs of oblivious passers-by, or people laughing. One person looked to be an adult, and they seemed to pause for a long time. But then they moved again, unmoved, uncaring. His breath, and the weight of his body made it hot, hard to breathe, but Emiko inhaled, and prepared to scream as the boy's hands started to tease at her underwear.

Suddenly, though, the weight was released, and the boy squawked as he was pulled back. Taking advantage of his surprise, Emiko was able to wrench herself from his grasp and step away from the wall. Trembling, gasping for breath, she looked over to see that Kaneda and Minah were there. Kaneda was holding the boy by the scruff of his shirt.

"L-let go of me!" the boy spluttered.

"Now, now, I can't do that." Kaneda said. "Not when you weren't being nice."

"Shishikane-san, are you alright?"

Minah went straight to Emiko, and put her hands on her shoulders, looking at her in concern. Emiko blinked at her, looked down at herself. Her shirt was rumpled and untucked, the top buttons undone. She crossed her arms over her chest, and shivered, even though it was fairly warm.

"Here," Minah said softly. "I'll neaten you up. Did you get bruised, or cut anywhere?"

 _I don't know. Everything hurts. Nothing actually happened, but everything hurts._ Not knowing how to say that, Emiko allowed Minah to tuck her shirt back in, smoothen the creases, button it up. She frowned as Minah contemplated a button that had been ripped off. Normally, one less button was no big deal. Now, she wanted nothing more than to be as covered as possible. Minah gave Emiko a look of sympathy, and then carefully adjusted the neck ribbon so that it pulled that part of her shirt together.

"Perhaps ask someone for a safety pin or…do you know how to sew?"

 _Why would I know how to sew?_ Emiko looked to Kaneda and the boy as a way of avoiding the question. She was not sure she was quite herself. Her limbs ached, and her back felt scratched, but at the same time she felt floaty. If Minah wasn't holding onto her, she'd float away, into the clouds, into nothingness.

"You can't touch me, Reserve Course student!" the boy yelled. "Let fucking go of me!"

"Like I said," Kaneda responded cheerily. "I can't. You were trying to hurt my kouhai."

"She wanted it! Just like you always want the attention all the damn time, she wanted it."

"I think the school will take a dim view of such backwards thinking." Kaneda said.

"Right, as if they'd believe a Reserve Course student anyway." The boy spat. "It'll still be your word against mine."

Emiko wrapped her arms around herself even tighter, and watched them. There were no witty one-liners or charming platitudes she could pull out to make this all go away. Was there really no middle ground between the power of her name and the powerlessness of being in Reserve Course?

"And against mine." Minah spoke up.

The boy's eyes bugged out as he turned to look at Minah. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it. He looked as flustered as he had before, when Emiko had thought it was safe to walk away. She held her breath.

"If Shishikane-san wants to make a complaint, I will back her. And if you think that being a Main Course student is going to let you get away with things, how will that work if one of her witnesses is a Main Course student too?"

 _Complaint? No, I don't need to make a complaint. Nothing actually happened. Nothing actually…_

After a moment of staring, the boy kicked at the ground, swore, and walked away. Kaneda and Minah stared grimly after him for a long while, and then they both looked at Emiko. Emiko stared at them for a long moment.

"There's still time," Minah began. "Come up with me-nobody will say anything. We can go to my room and I'll find a spare shir-"

"No."

Emiko shook her head. Parts of her started to slot back into place, her limbs gradually began to regain their weight. But everything still hurt.

"No, no, there's no need for that."

She was aware of her voice sounding hollow, and she paused, laughing fake-brightly and smiling.

"Nothing serious happened, the bastard didn't get very far. I'll just find Shino, I'll be fine. They'll probably have a safety pin too."

She laughed again, struck a little pose, letting her arms fall back to her side as if everything was just dandy. _Ease yourself back into role. It'll be fine._

"Shishikane-san, has something happened?"

Emiko startled to see her homeroom teacher of all people arrive on scene, taking them all in with some concern. _She must have just arrived,_ Emiko thought. But how much did she see? She was sure that this teacher hadn't been the one who'd looked and then walked by while the boy had been…while the boy had…. _no, don't think about that!_

"A main course boy attacked her!" Kaneda exclaimed.

"It's nothing!" Emiko said hurriedly. "Really, I'm a big girl!"

The teacher regarded her critically, and Minah looked as if she wanted to protest and didn't know what to say. Eventually, the teacher nodded slowly, though she looked pointedly at Emiko's torn button.

"A sexual assault isn't nothing." She said. "But I do realise that in this current climate making an allegation isn't going to achieve anything. But, you can tell me what happened."

"Sensei, that's okay, but I don't think it'll do anything, like you said."

"This is true at the moment. However, I might eventually be able to do something as a teacher. And I will try. So having a log will help, at least."

"I..." Emiko was wrong-footed, yet again. She wanted to talk about it, but she didn't want to _talk_ about it. The details, in the end, were insignificant. If she had actually….if that had actually happened, it'd be another matter. But…

"Ah, kouhai, if it suits you, I can tell this lovely teacher about what I witnessed from my viewpoint. You can add your own details when you are feeling stronger. Would that suffice, sensei?" Kaneda asked.

"Yes, it would." The teacher nodded. "Shishikane-san?"

' _When I'm stronger' isn't really the problem. But…_ Emiko nodded.

"Alright then, then that's what we'll do." The teacher decided.

She walked away, and Kaneda went with her, leaving behind Minah and Emiko.

"Shishikane-san…" Minah started, and then stopped. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

All the excuses she'd been making in the last few moments gathered back in her mouth. But they were not came out. Instead, simply, wearily:

"Thanks."

"At least that teacher is going to do something."

"Mm. She's not too bad." Emiko said non-commitally. "But anyway, I'm gonna go to class and wait for Shino."

"Are you alright on your own? Do you want me to come with you, or…?"

Emiko gave a smile, as dazzling as she could make it.

"No need to worry. I'll be fine."

Minah did not look like she believed it- _and really, why should she?_ -but in the end she nodded.

"Alright. Take care of yourself."

After giving one more concerned look, Minah turned away and started to walk away. Emiko watched her, and then, when she was far enough away, and there was no-one else nearby, Emiko closed her eyes, allowed herself to tremble for just a moment, to feel the fear for a fleeting time. But then she straightened. Opened her eyes, practiced her smile.

And she kept walking.

 **…**

"So…how come we're meeting outside, rather than in, I dunno, a classroom or an office or something?"

Mizuki gave Taki a careful look.

"I think you need to see this to believe what I'm going to ask you. "She said after a moment's contemplation. "Would you rather be in an office?"

"Oh, no, no, outdoors is cool!" Taki said. "I just mean, because Principal Naegi and Deputy Principal Hinata-huh?"

Mizuki held up her hand, stopping Taki in his stride both in terms of motion and words. She gave him a careful look, and took a moment to tamp down on the frustration she felt every time this still happened. Taki wasn't too bad, and getting annoyed with him would be like getting annoyed with Minah as she had done that time-not good at all. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and spoke:

"Just so you know, both of them are Principals. They are co-principals. Not a principal and a deputy."

"They what? Oh, I had no idea!" Taki laughed awkwardly. "Well, if you say so. But anyway, I was just wondering, since the Principals were so insistent on me not even telling Fukuda-that's my TEP girl, by the way-I just thought you wouldn't want to be outside."

Again, Mizuki gave Taki a careful look. _Was it just the principals?_

"That's a reasonable conclusion. But you don't need to worry, this place is private enough."

 _Hopefully, that'll change soon._

"Yikes, that's scary! Sure this is all above board?"

When Mizuki simply gave Taki a stern look, he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry, sorry."

After that, somewhat mercifully, they walked the rest of the way in silence. Given the time of day, though there were a few Main Course students milling around, there weren't any Reserve Course students. Though it was likely Shino might be about. Possibly with Emiko. Mizuki wasn't sure if she wanted to encounter them or not. Gradually, they got closer to the trees which concealed the graveyard, and Mizuki's steps slowed.

"Here?" Taki asked, incredulously.

"Yes."

Mizuki went ahead of him, and with brisk strides, entered graveyard. She stood by the gravestone of Shouta Takahata, and waited for Taki to catch up. She closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the sounds of nature around her, and how muted they seemed here. Even though Mizuki was not one to believe in ghosts, she could not help but wonder if any of them were here, watching her.

 _And, if you are here, what would you be saying to me?_

"Woah….what the hell?"

Mizuki's eyes snapped open, and she turned to face Taki. His eyes were wide and jaw slack, and though he hadn't quite dropped the black bag he was carrying with him, it hung precariously from his fingers, threatening to slip away. He blinked once, twice, and then let out a long breath.

"What on earth….since when has this been here?"

"Long enough." Mizuki said grimly.

"Yeah, I can see that…."

Dreamily, with small, cautious steps that were quite unlike him, Taki started to look around. When he got to Shouta Takahata's stone, he blinked and did a double take, before straightening and gawping at Mizuki.

"Why is this here? I mean, why is it a secret? I mean, I'm guessing it's like a memorial or whatever?"

"Yes, bodies aren't actually buried here."

"Well, thank fuck for that, but seriously? Why? This is actually a nice thing…."

"Why do you think? Because of talent, of course." Mizuki said, somewhat bitterly.

Taki frowned at this for a moment, thinking. Mizuki noticed that there wasn't just sawdust on his clothes, but in his hair too. Eventually, he shook his head.

"That doesn't make much sense to me, but you know what, I don't want to dwell on it. I think my head'll explode if I do." He laughed, then became serious. "So then, what do you want?"

"I need an extra gravestone added to this graveyard." She said.

"I….alright. I mean, that's not my area of expertise but it's obviously a thing I can do…but why? I mean, why doesn't whoever deals with this do it?"

Mizuki simply handed the slim folder that contained a copy of the names that needed to be included in the gravestone. Taki looked at her uncertainly, but took it, and flicked through.

"These are all the names that need to go on the gravestone? Woah, that's a lot! And all on one…man, that's a challenge, but…oh….oh!"

Taki looked up.

"Reserve Course students!"

Mizuki nodded.

"Yes, those are all the Reserve Course students who have died while students here, over the years."

"Oh, but…"

Clearly puzzled, Taki wandered around the graveyard again, looking from paper to stone and back again. Eventually, when he got to the opposite side of the graveyard, he stopped, and simply flicked through the names. Then, he looked up at Mizuki.

"There isn't a stone for the Reserve Course students?" he asked quietly. "Not any of them?"

Mizuki walked over to where Taki was, and nodded.

"Yes, that's right. So that is what I need you to do-make a stone that is large enough to include all their names, to make up for that. Is that something you can do."

"Yeah, sure, let me just…." He flicked through. "Man, that really is a lot of names, huh. Especially in 2010…how come?"

"Some of them are…unexplained." Mizuki said, fighting the urge to tell him about The Parade. "But there are various accidents, illnesses and…a high rate of suicides."

Taki opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it again. He looked down at the sheets.

"That is…messed up."

"There are a lot of things about the Reserve Course that are that way."

"Yeah, I'm starting to realise that now…"

Abruptly, Taki put his bag down, and bent down to look inside it. He pulled out a measuring tape, a sketchbook and a severely-chewed pencil out of a small pencil case. As he zipped the bag back up again, the sketchbook fell slightly lopsided, revealing sketches of boxes, shelves and chairs as it did so. Taki picked up the sketchbook and flicked to the next blank page, before getting up with the things he had taken out, and making a circuit of the graveyard, measuring, making preliminary sketches, considering the space in front of him, then doing it all again, flitting from space to space. And as he did, he talked. Having learnt from experience that it was best to just let Taki be whenever he had one of what he called his 'stream of consciousness' moments, Mizuki didn't interrupt. She just listened, and formed her own thoughts.

"So, like, I've always been like, Hope's Peak is cool, right? Didn't really see there were problems or anything, though yeah, it would be nice to be able to pursue skills not fully Talent-related from time to time, because trying new things is cool, right? But anyway. I didn't see the problem with Hope's Peak, really, so all the Reserve Course students complaining made no sense to me. And like, you know I was on the side of punishing them for the statue, but like, if they hadn't done it, I wouldn't have been. I really did think that they had been responsible, and I thought it was cool you were trying to be nice, but that was all I thought it was. You, being nice, because some of them would have been your friends or whatever. Then the riots happened, and those were pretty bad, and again, I thought the same sorta thing. Even if the security guard guys were just Not Cool. But now….I've been learning things and I think I kinda get it? Kinda? That, and well…bullying people isn't cool, you know? Reserve Course, Main Course stuff aside, that's just not on. Some of the guys in my class have been boasting about scaring Reserve Course students, and this morning one of them was talking about…well…."

Taki slowed in his motions, mirroring the pause in his words. He looked at Mizuki and went slightly red.

"You know, this student was a guy and he was talking about a female Reserve Course student-ah! Not that he actually, you know…"

"Yes. I'm aware."

She was aware-Minah had found her earlier in the day, giving her a quick run-down of the situation.

" _I don't think we should force Shishikane-san to talk about if she doesn't want to, but I thought you should know.."_

"But yeah!" Taki said suddenly, speeding up again. "There's that. And that's just messed up, you know? And then this-like how it's so secret and the Principals pretty much put the fear of God into me before letting me meet you…well. Perhaps all my initial assumptions are wrong."

"Possibly." Mizuki said.

 _The fear of God, huh? If only you knew…_

Almost as soon as the word came out, she realised it hadn't been quite as neutral as she'd hoped it would be. Taki gave her a look, then laughed awkwardly.

"Touché. I guess you've been trying to say that all along, huh?"

"In a manner of speaking. But what are you going to do about it?"

"Do? Oh, man…."

Taki went red again, rubbed the back of his head, let out another awkward laugh. After a moment of fidgeting, he sat down in the grass, and started to draw rapidly. Mizuki, after a moment's consideration, walked over and sat down near him. Taki didn't react at first, but after a few frenetic pencil lines, he turned the page to her.

There were two simple sketches of a large, rectangular shaped stone, one with small symbols-presumably, stand ins for names and dates- crammed in neat columns across it, the other with crammed names surrounding a medium-sized rectangle which only contained the word POEM written across it. All around the two drawings there were annotations in the most illegible handwriting that Mizuki had ever seen.

"I'm thinking it will need to essentially be a two-sided gravestone, because of the number of names. That, and if it's gonna be collective, that there should be some sort of dedication on it too. I thought a poem would be fitting. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me. I presume this is something you will be able to get started as soon as possible."

"Of course!"

Taki looked like he wanted to say something else, but unusually, he didn't continue immediately. Instead, he paused, and seemed to be in deep thought for a moment as he put his sketchbook down, before he looked back up at Mizuki, eyes pensive.

"Now, see, the thing is, I'm usually pretty chill about things. I just want to have a good time and all that. Revolutions and all that, they aren't my cup of tea. I don't really like shaking the boat, so to speak."

"Right…"

 _And your point is…?_

"But I know that also essentially makes me a coward, especially as I'm starting to get things. So, the things that you probably mean when you asked me what I was going to do, I don't think I can. "

Mizuki opened her mouth to say something, but Taki held up his hand.

"I know, I know. It's cowardly. But….honestly, I am kind of shaken. So I just can't. But what I can do….I can, you know, not be a bully. I can do things like this-"

At this, he gestured to his sketchbook, and continued.

"I can be an awesome part of the TEP. Which is pretty awesome, by the way. Though, it might just be because Fukuda, she's a grand girl."

At this, Taki blushed yet again, but this time with a bashful smile.

"Yeah. Fukuda's great and I'd like to do right by her, at least. I'm going to get her to help on this, it might make up for the thing with the statues. But yeah…did any of that rambling make sense?"

Mizuki nodded.

"It did indeed. But I must inform you that now you've said all that, I might take you up on the offer. With consideration to your….restrictions. But all the same, it is good to have any kind of ally, no matter how uneasy."

Taki grinned back.

"Yeah. Just, nothing too revolutionary, yeah?"

 _No need to worry about that._ Mizuki already knew that Taki wouldn't have been a good addition to their group, even if she had been vaguely considering it. She simply nodded, and decided to steer their conversation back to its original point-the gravestone.

"So…you mentioned something about a poem. Do you have any suggestions in mind?"

* * *

 **The potential thing that might be triggering is a depiction of an attempted sexual assault early on in the chapter. It is not particularly graphic (I don't think) but yeah.**


	25. Spotlight

**Well. This has been a challenging week. But, here, a chapter! It actually changed a lot from the initial plans, becoming more elaborate, so despite my week I am glad of this, at least. Do enjoy!**

* * *

It was strange, seeing Hinata on the stage this assembly, knowing that Naegi was addressing the Reserve Course in their assembly at the exact same time. Mizuki was not sure whether this was a sign of change for the better, or just luck. But she was glad anyway, even if she was not so sure about what she felt about him these days. She exchanged a small smile with Minah-who she had been lucky enough to sit next to today-and then settled back to listen to what Hinata had to say.

"Today will be a somewhat unusual day, though I know some of you will be aware of this anyway." Hinata began.

"We have invited the people who are behind the special ongoing Centenary documentary series to come in and film for the next segments. There will also be reporters in throughout the day for their own news pieces on the year thus far. The reporters will mainly be interested in preparations for the Birthday Party. However, they will ask wider questions about the school and your involvement, and the documentary makers will definitely be asking you a lot of questions about all aspects of Hope's Peak."

Hinata paused a moment, as if giving time for that to sink in before continuing.

"As such, I must remind you that you are all, every single one of you, representatives of Hope's Peak. I know some of you are more used to the press than not, but even if you do not wish to be involved in the documentary, or interviewed, I ask that you conduct yourself with the utmost professionalism when you come into contact with the reporters and documentary makers. This also involves being careful in what you say if you do decide to be involved."

 _Is he looking at me?_ Mizuki stiffened as Hinata's stare appeared to become laser focused. _If you are implying what I think you are then…well, I will just have to disobey, won't I?_ None of the others around her seemed to notice-indeed, she caught sight of Sho discreetly texting, and Sumi slipping a piece of chewing gum into her mouth. She also noticed that Riko looked like she'd rather be anywhere than in the assembly hall, glaring at Sosuke who paid her no heed as he diligently listened. Then again, wherever Mizuki had seen Riko, the green haired girl had looked as she'd rather be somewhere else. _She's not going to cope with today, is she?_ Mizuki knew that Sosuke would be doing the whole 'damage control' thing, but she made a mental note to herself to check on Riko for _Riko's_ sake later in the day.

After a short moment, Hinata's stare no longer seemed focused on her, and he went on to talk a little more about the reporters, though nothing that was significant. Still, Mizuki took note. All the same, it was a big relief when the assembly was over, and they could all go to wherever it was they were meant to be next.

 **…**

"Teranaga-san, may I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yes, of course."

Mizuki ignored the whispers and snickers-largely originating from Sumi-as they all trickled out, leaving her behind. It was nothing new, anyway. _But, I wonder what Iwasa-sensei wants?_ She waited restlessly as her classmates took their time, while Iwasa remained patient. But then, eventually, they were gone, and Iwasa looked to Mizuki.

"Do you have any idea of what I may wish to discuss with you?"

"I do not, but I presume it is somehow related to my Class Representative duties."

"Well." Iwasa blinked, and thought a moment, tapping a perfectly-manicured nail against her desk. "I suppose you could put it like that."

Mizuki waited, and then Iwasa spoke.

"I am aware that you are dissatisfied with the school, but if you do decide to give interviews, please refrain from being too…negative."

"By which you mean, don't say anything that puts Hope's Peak in less-than-perfect light?" Mizuki asked cuttingly.

Iwasa raised an eyebrow.

"This school is a good school. It has done good for many, many people, and not even just students, but the wider community too. It does not deserve criticism."

"I am aware of that." Mizuki responded. "I am very aware of that, and that is why I 'criticize' it. Because I want this school to keep doing good deeds."

"I, however-"

"Forgive me for interrupting, sensei, but I think you are sharing your concerns with the wrong person."

Iwasa blinked in surprise and stared at Mizuki. She took this as an invitation to keep going.

"I think you should be more concerned with those in this class who are inclined to…bullying behaviours. Students who are supposed to be part of what makes this school good should not really be seen to be picking on or assaulting other students."

Iwasa frowned, but nodded slowly.

"That is a very good point. I will be talking to the reporters myself, so on my way I will keep an eye. Perhaps you could do the same. However, I do expect you to keep my words in mind."

"Oh, I will." Mizuki said.

Iwasa looked at her for a moment more, perfectly painted lips pursed in disapproval, but all the same, she nodded.

"Very well then. You are dismissed."

Mizuki nodded, and left. Walking down the corridor, she slowed, and looked at the Wall of Fame, all the photographs of the best of the best of the best. How they changed over the years, from sepia to black and white to colour of varying quality, from one kind of school uniform to another. Even the choice of hairstyles and accessories, and the very expressions on the faces of those portrayed, seemed to change with the years. There was no doubt that even in ten years' time, with whatever photographs were added then, more difference would be seen.

 _So why is it,_ Mizuki wondered, _that this school is so resistant to change?_

With a sigh, she turned away from the Wall, and kept going. Soon, though, she happened across a woman with a microphone and recorder and a couple of people with cameras, both interviewing a third year girl about her age. She vaguely recognised the girl, but also recognised the interviewer and filmers as the documentary people, having encountered them at the gates on the first day. _That seems like such a long time ago…._ A few other students were milling around, but none from her class, and none that she knew from the other classes.

"Alright, cut!" the woman said. "Okay, thank you for your time, Hisano-san!"

The cameras were put down for the moment, the recorder and microphone muted, and the woman shook hands with the third year girl, who thanked them in return, and then went on her way. Mizuki thought of doing the same, but then the woman seemed to spot her out of the corner of her eye, and she brightened visibly.

"Teranaga-san! I don't suppose you have a minute to answer a couple of questions for the next stage of the documentary?"

Mizuki internally sighed, thinking of how, one way or another, someone would end up displeased with whatever she ended up saying. But she simply nodded.

"Of course. "

"Excellent, excellent, if you just stand here…."

Mizuki side-stepped to avoid actually being manoeuvred, and instead just followed the woman's gestures so she was standing where the third year girl had been. After some fiddling with equipment, and a reminder to the gawkers to be quiet, the cameras started rolling.

"So, it's near enough halfway through the first term, and we are approaching the birthday of the founder himself. How do you feel about that?"

"It has certainly gone by quickly." Mizuki said. "But there's still a lot more of it left. I'm already overseeing different projects that will help Hope's Peak, and of course they have been introducing new initiatives as well. I'm sure there will be so much more to do as the year goes on."

"One of those projects is the Talent Exchange Program, right? Or, the TEP as it has become colloquially known."

"Yes, that's right."

At the woman's request, she briefly described the TEP, and explained she had signed up herself, and had charge of the Reserve Course students, though she did not mention their names, thinking that neither Mokomichi nor Hana would be particularly interested in being interviewed for any reason. There were then some more questions, including, annoyingly, some about her status as a former Reserve Course student. But she managed them, and then there was the final question.

"So, at this point, how do you feel about Hope's Peak, as a whole? Are you glad to be a student here?"

Mizuki hesitated for a moment. Why this, of all the questions, would throw her off, she wasn't sure. _Well, I am, really._ But even so. She settled for essentially just answering the second half.

"Yes, I am glad to be a student of Hope's Peak. And I hope that this school will carry on trying its hardest to be somewhere all its students can be proud to go to, whether they are Main or Reserve Course."

"Thank you so much, Teranaga-san! We'll wrap it up there."

And thankfully, finally, it was over.

 **…**

Mizuki was relieved to see that nobody was following her on the way to the graveyard, though she had deliberately taken as circuitous a route as possible (advice Emiko had shared during a 'Shh!' chat a few days ago) just in case anyway. She supposed that it would never occur to anyone that there could be anything out here to go to anyway. _Or most people_ , she acknowledged, remembering Sosuke. Still, she double checked as she got closer, and looked around once she was actually in the small area.

"What are you doing?"

Mizuki startled, and whipped around to see Mokomichi sitting on the ground, near the oldest of the gravestones. He had earphones in, but had taken one out and was holding it in his hand. He looked as if he'd been there a while, though Mizuki couldn't pin down a particular reason for this, just that he seemed very comfortable.

"I-I could ask you much the same." Mizuki said. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Our teacher walked out on us again, because of the media presence. Said it was to free up our time if we wanted to be involved, but really it was so she could have another day off and get paid for it."

"I…what? Who is this teacher? What's her name?"

"This happens all the time, Teranaga, there'd just be a different excuse each time."

Mizuki sighed.

"That doesn't matter. She is a teacher, and that is unacceptable behaviour. I know that the curriculum on the Reserve Course could do with improvement, but while I was there, I never knew a teacher to do that."

"I did. Though, not ours, you are right. But yeah, there's no point." Mokomichi said, rolling his eyes.

"What's her _name_ , Yamashita-kun?"

Mokomichi rolled his eyes again, but obliged her. Mizuki nodded in thanks, and then, after a moment, decided to go to him, and sat down next to him.

"You're the one always at me to prove myself, and you're making a fuss?"

"I don't think I was making a fuss. Just that it's pointless. "Mokomichi shrugged. "Anyway, how is it you always seem to be where I am?"

Mizuki blinked, and then narrowed her eyes at him.

"I could ask much the same of you." She said.

 _Though, I am glad of it._

Mokomichi nodded at this.

"Well then. I take it you're avoiding the media."

"Mhm. I've just about had enough, I think. I don't know how people like Sawada-san and Kang-sempai manage to deal with attention like that day in, day out."

"…you have a media presence yourself, don't you?"

"You know I do." Mizuki said, mock-annoyed. "But not like this."

"Fair."

Mokomichi regarded her evenly, and Mizuki returned the gaze in what she hoped was just as even a manner. For some reason, she felt compelled to tell him everything that she had said to the various reporters she had met across the day, offer up the words she'd used for his approval.

And so, she did.

Mokomichi half-nodded as she talked, pausing whatever it was he was listening to, and giving her his full attention. Afterwards, he simply nodded.

"I think those old lab coats are going to be annoyed with that."

"Well. I'd rather not annoy them, but it's better than…"

Mizuki stopped short of finishing the sentence, instead turning the rest into a new question, for reasons she didn't quite understand:

"What do you think?"

Mokomichi just shrugged.

"Am I supposed to think anything in particular?"

Mizuki huffed in annoyance. _Really?_ Mokomichi tilted his head, and then smiled softly.

"It's fine." He said, simply. "Really."

Mizuki nodded at that, more pleased than she had expected to be. They sat in silence for a while. Mizuki gazed out at the graveyard, imagining the Reserve Course graveyard and what it would look like once done. The poem she and Taki had eventually chosen for the other side played through her mind:

 _How quickly must she go?  
She calls dark swans from mirrors everywhere:  
From halls and porticos, from pools of air.  
How quickly must she know?  
They wander through…._

Her thoughts were jolted by the vague awareness that Mokomichi was asking something of her, so she looked over at him. He had his earphones back in-or rather, he had one in. The other, he held out. He did not say anything, instead letting the gesture do the asking. Mizuki tilted her head, curiously, and then, after a moment, accepted.

 **…**

 _Oh great, just my luck._

Mihoko sighed as she spotted Emiko and Shino hurtling down the corridor towards her.

"Yo, Sakurai!" Shino greeted. "Come hang out with us!"

"Um…"

Apparently, neither of them were taking no for an answer, because they both proceeded to drag Mihoko into an empty club room, with Emiko sitting herself down at a random chair and Shino clambering on the table to sit on that, instead. Mihoko just stared.

"So, your teach give an extended break to gawp at the reporters?" Shino asked, taking their beret off and fiddling with the rose on it.

"No, ours has just used the day to escape her teacherly responsibilities." Mihoko sighed.

She thought of the beginning of the day, and the messages that Sosuke had sent her, over normal messaging rather than 'Shh!':

 _Sosuke Mori: I intend to talk to the reporters about the Talent Exchange Program and how it has benefitted Hope's Peak. Please come to talk about the perspective of the program from the Reserve Course perspective._

 _Mihoko Sakurai:…and good morning to you too. With all due respect, I'd rather not be paraded in front of the media. I'm not comfortable with it. I presume that the interview would have been our TEP meeting today?_

 _Sosuke Mori: Yes, that is what I was intending. However, I do not wish for the public to think we coerce our students into situations that are uncomfortable. We will reschedule another time-we can continue studying how to find relevant case information in archives._

Mihoko knew that would probably translate to her organising old paperwork, which wasn't bad, just a bit more like a thing a standard work experience student or intern would do. Still, it was a whole tonne better than talking to the media, so she had simply given a vague reply in confirmation and promptly forgotten about it.

 _Soooo, why am I thinking about it again?_ Semi-annoyed with herself, Mihoko firmly pushed all thought of the Judicidal Scrivener out of her mind and returned to managing whatever situations she had ended up in with Shino and Emiko.

"Of course she has." Shino snorted derisively. "I think most of the teachers have. Well, apart from ours, I think. We still have lessons for the rest of the day, but like I said, extended break."

"Which naturally, gave me an excellent opportunity to flaunt the family name on screen." Emiko added, grinning even as she rolled her eyes. "Otsuki-Chan, too."

"Otsuki?" Mihoko could not picture the smaller, younger girl willingly going in front of the camera.

"Oh, you know how it is. With greatness comes great responsibility and all that. " Emiko sighed. "I mean, the Shishikanes could eclipse the Otsukis if we really wanted to, but it still applies."

 _Well, I don't really know how it is, but with the amount of moneyed people floating around here I can probably imagine…_

"So…you forced her to come with you?" Mihoko asked carefully as she decided to move away from the doorway, and went to sit down on a different chair.

"No!" Emiko protested, seeming unexpectedly offended.

Mihoko just tilted her head and waited. Emiko squirmed slightly, but then smiled beatifically.

"Look, sometimes you just gotta do things for the family name, and I figured she wouldn't want to have to do so alone, right? Besides, I did all the talking! Most of it. Me, I like the spotlight, sometimes."

"Yeah, I can tell." Mihoko snarked.

"She did apologise though, surprisingly." Shino interjected suddenly.

"Surprisingly?" Emiko pouted at Shino.

"Yes, _surprisingly_."

"Pffff." Emiko puffed out her cheeks and let out a breath. "Anyway, it's a win-win. I got to parade in front of the camera, and both of us can tell our stuffy fathers that we made them look good! Anyway, I invited her to come over for a clothes-swap night for the party!"

"You what?" Mihoko asked.

"Uh, have you never swapped clothes with friends before?"

"You say that like you have." Shino retorted smartly. "When you've got more new clothes than you can wear in your lifetime."

"Hey, don't burst my bubble! Besides, that's exactly why!" Emiko protested. "I wanna do the girly thing, and free up some wardrobe space, and maybe get some cooler things in the process. That, and decide the perfect outfit for the party, because, you know, it's kinda important?"

"Really, you think? Just looks like more elitism on a pedestal to me." Mihoko muttered.

"Hah!" Shino laughed at that. "You are exactly right, Sakurai. On the other hand, Reserve Course are all invited, and this is Hope's Peak. Fairly sure they know how to throw a party. So if they're offering us a good time for once, why not take it?"

"Hmmmm…."

Mihoko had to admit that Shino had a point with what they were saying. Trouble was, she was never the biggest fan of parties, especially not ones as large as this would be.

"Hey, why don't you come too?" Emiko suddenly asked.

"Uh….."

"Oh, yeah, that'd be cool, then it'd be like a hangout of the Reserve Course Girl Division of our crew. Well, Reserve Course Feminine Division, because of the whole NB thing." Shino laughed.

"Reserve Course….Girl Division…..riiiiight."

 _Well, I suppose it fits. Like it or not, we are connected to each other. All part of a crew._

"Sounds snazzy, right?" Emiko grinned at Mihoko. "I came up with it."

"Of course you did."

"Plus, your sense of style is amazing." Shino continued. "You need to come along!"

"….I don't want to give away my clothes though. I like them. I also don't have an infinite store of money."

"Firstly, it's a swap! You won't go home empty handed. Secondly, it doesn't have to be a perma-swap, just a loan. If you want. But you have to come! Please come!"

"Uh….."

Emiko's smile was of her usual kind, but she leaned forward appeasingly, and there was something in her eyes that looked a little desperate, pleading. The two aspects clashed-was Emiko just trying to get her own way as she was no doubt used to getting, or was this really important to her?

"Please!"

"…."

"Pretty please?"

The next few moments went around in similar circles, until finally, Mihoko sighed heavily, and gave in. Emiko clapped her hands in glee, and Shino winked at her, and then the logistics were sorted through and details messaged to Hana, all while Mihoko wondered _How the hell did I get myself talked into this?_

Which seemed to be the theme of her life, lately. _Oh, well._

The three of them chatted a while more-or rather, Shino and Emiko chatted while Mihoko nodded and made the occasional snark. Then, some other first year girls-girls who were most definitely not part of the 'Reserve Course Feminine Division'-came, and Mihoko took that as her cue to silently sneak away.

 **…**

When Mihoko walked back into her classroom, the teacher still wasn't there, and there were only a few student still in the class. A couple of them were working, but the others were just chatting, apparently not bothered enough to go somewhere else. One of the working students was Mokomichi, and he looked up upon her arrival.

"You've been here all this time?" she asked without preamble.

"No." Mokomichi said simply. "But there's only so much wandering around you can do."

"Mhm. What're you studying?"

"Maths."

"Cool."

Mokomichi studied her for a moment, then gestured to his books.

"Want to join me? I could use a change of pace."

"Suuuuureee…."

 _I don't really have a reason to say no….._

Mihoko pulled up a chair, then, on a second thought, left it, went to drag her own desk over next to his, then went back to retrieve her chair and sat down. She took her own maths books and pencil case out, and opened the text book to the page Mokomichi was looking through. He pushed some of his own books aside to make more room, and acknowledged her 'thanks' with a simple nod. They then spent a short while simply practising questions, before quickly growing bored.

"So…how have you been occupying _your_ day?" Mihoko asked absently.

Mokomichi shrugged.

"This, that and the other." He said. "Just wandering around, seeing what was happening. Bumped into Teranaga at one point. Mostly tried to keep out of the way of Main Course students-Teranaga not included in that-and away from the cameras."

Mihoko chuckled at that. _Well, I can certainly relate to that. But also…_

"You and Teranaga, honestly."

Mokomichi rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't like her like that, I keep saying!"

"I didn't even ask!" Mihoko mock-protested, though not that strongly. "Also, I literally asked you _once_."

"Oh?" This seemed to befuddle Mokomichi for a moment. "Alright. But still. I can hear the implication."

"I suppose that's fair…" Mihoko said.

 _Because I was implying it._ Honestly, the more she had seen of them, the more she was convinced that there was more to them than the TEP. Though, Mizuki had been their classmate too, once upon a time. It was hard to remember that though.

"So anyway, how have you been spending the day?"

"Honestly? Mostly in the exact same way you have been. Minus Teranaga." Mihoko said. "Although, I did find myself agreeing to a girly clothes-swap night with Shishikane and Hisakawa."

"…"

"…"

After the stare-off had lasted for too long, Mihoko sighed and made a dismissive gesture.

"It's not _that_ weird."

"It _is_. Well, I wouldn't have pictured you as being into clothes and things. "

Mihoko glared at Mokomichi, who studiously avoided the glare for a moment by being studious, before looking up again. Mihoko glared even harder, and Mokomichi just gave a wry grin.

"Then again, I don't think we really even talked or anything all this time, though I'm sure we've been in the same class all the way through."

"Have we?" Mihoko wondered. "I honestly don't remember. But, that's true. I suppose if it wasn't….well, you know. We probably wouldn't have said more than 'hi, bye' for the rest of our time here."

Now she was thinking about it, she didn't really remember Mizuki being a classmate either, even accounting for the brain block around the fact the Philanthropist had once been a Reserve Course student. Then again, she'd never been chomping at the bit to know all her classmates and ingratiate herself with the super-wealthy ones the way she'd observed others doing, so that might have had something to do with it.

"Mhmm."

There was an awkward silence for a moment as they both reached for something to say. Mihoko emptied out her pencil case and started to pile her different items of stationary on top of each other, creating a haphazard tower. When it quickly fell, she shoved in most of it and fiddled with the jigsaw puzzle eraser her cousin had given her for New Year, de-assembling it and then reassembling it without really paying attention to it.

"Though, something I've always known about you is that you had a big thing for avoiding Main Course students."

Mihoko blinked, her eraser reassembling pausing. She had not really expected that she would say that, of all things. She hadn't even really been planning to break the silence. Apparently, she was still thinking about the dynamic between Mizuki and Mokomichi. _Oh well, may as well go with it._

Mokomichi could apparently tell what she was thinking, because he raised an eyebrow when she looked at him meaningfully.

"Let me guess, it's a massive surprise that I'm on the TEP, of all things."

"Yes, pretty much."

"Okay? So?"

Mokomichi was almost maddeningly bland in this response. Mihoko rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. Annoyingly enough, that only made Mokomichi smirk.

"Even you have to admit that's a pretty big shift in behaviour."

"Same could be said about you, probably, far as I can tell. You don't seem the type to really be involved in….big things."

Mokomichi pointed at her, still with that smirk on his face. She tried to summon up a snarky response, but it fell away when she realised that actually, he was right. And that she did not have a snarky response to that.

"Well, there's a lot of change going around, isn't there? It's bound to have…side effects." Mokomichi said eventually. "Right? These changes are causing other changes. I mean, just think about this morning. Since when does Principal Naegi take our assemblies? "

"Since he wanted to look good for the media?" Mihoko said. "I mean, c'mon."

Mokomichi nodded at that.

"Mhm. I thought as much. But even so. My point still stands, does it not? These changes are causing more, and they will cause more. And so on. "

 _And we're causing more changes ourselves. I wonder, what side effects will those have?_

"Will they be for the better?" Mihoko asked instead.

Mokomichi picked up his pencil and absently tapped it against his exercise book as he thought. His expression was far away. She wondered if he had understood the question behind her question. _If it was Teranaga, he probably would have._

 _Aaaaaaand why am I thinking that?_ Before Mihoko could examine her thoughts further, Mokomichi finally spoke, sounding as far away as he still looked. _Which is something else I probably wouldn't have known about him if not for this year, incidentally._

"Who knows, Sakurai-Chan? Who knows?"

"Well, _that's_ reassuring." Mihoko muttered drily.

She poked at the semi-assembled jigsaw puzzle. _Ah, I'd just like this elitist mess of a day to be over._

"In the end, I think we can only wait and see."

Mokomichi was no longer sporting that far-away look, and now looked at her with that semi-smirk again. She resisted the urge to snark at him, and simply nodded.

"Yes. We've just got to wait and see."

 **…**

Sho held his arms out in a celebratory gesture as he climbed out onto the roof, grinning up at the sky, only to feel his balled up hoodie get thrown at him. He turned, and pouted at the culprit-Shino.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"You look like an idiot. Plus, we'll be seen."

"….right." Sho laughed. "I totally knew that."

"No, you didn't." Emiko retorted. "Admit it."

For some reason, she had not taken off the old hoodie he'd loaned her so that she could disguise herself as they snuck up here. Indeed, she still had the hood up, and now that they weren't surrounded by people they were trying to evade, she had seemed to be hiding in it more. It was not what he expected of her, and he wasn't sure how to process that.

So, he decided not to, instead first throwing the hoodie straight back at Shino, and sitting down near the barrier, peering down.

"It's pretty entertaining, watching it all from down here, huh?" he said.

Of course, he still wanted to be down there, watching others more dazzling than him being interviewed and having some of the dazzle shine on him (even if he did also photobomb some of them). But looking down like this, with two very awesome people in tow? That was fun too.

"Yeah." Shino said. "Elitism from afar, my _favourite_."

"Hey, it's not all that bad. I mean, Deputy Principal Hinata gave us the assembly, and all that. And everyone's being nice to each other."

"Geez, have you learnt nothing since meeting us?" Emiko asked.

"What's that meant to mean?" Sho asked, hurt by the unhappiness in her voice, though he still kept looking down.

"Just that it's meaningless." Emiko said. "Right, Shino?"

"Right. They just wanna look good for the media." Shino said. "Tomorrow, things will go back to the same old elitism. Being patronised, bullied, threatened…."

"Assaulted…" Emiko added.

"I know, but…." Sho trailed off as he had a sudden revelation.

 _Assaulted…_

He turned to Emiko, who had now unzipped the hoodie, though she still kept it on. He didn't really know things about, well, things like this. But he had a brain, and could put things together.

"Did your teacher, uh, you know, find out anything?"

Emiko gave him a dark look, but then shrugged.

"She tried. But you know, elitism. Besides, nothing happened, not really."

"I suppose that's true…" Sho agreed. _I mean, scary and all, but at least it wasn't rape…_

"Okay, and?" Shino glared at Sho. "Like, it's Emiko's right to think that since it happened to her, but that doesn't mean it's trivial!"

"Woah, woah, woah, I didn't mean anything bad…" Sho rapidly thought of a way to backpedal. "Just…well, actually, I guess it's harder to make a case if physically and according to you, it wasn't…you know…"

"Yeah, he's right about that. Leave the poor sap be, Shino." Emiko said, somewhat wearily.

"But-"

"Nah, it's fine, really. Do you know why?" Emiko grinned fiercely, the sudden intensity taking him aback. "Because I am sure as heck not letting them win! I'm still me, and I'm still going to have fun and be awesome and fly in the face of it all. AND I'm going to play a role in bringing them down."

"Hey, don't leave me out!" Sho said. "I wanna be glorious too!"

"Of course not, diddums." Shino said sarcastically. "Though, on a serious note…what do you all say to really bringing them down? Not just the whole 'see something, say something' shtick. But actual destruction?"

"Like what? Arson? Vandalism?"

Sho had a vision of graffiti-ing something splendid and glorious and inspirational that everyone would follow. Not that he knew what the magic word or picture for that would be. But still. Somehow, though, from the glint in Shino's eye, he knew that was not what they meant.

"I was actually trying to allude to it back when we met up for Golden Week, but essentially, blackmail." Shino said, their voice dropping on the last word.

The word seemed to ricochet around the air. Emiko did not seem surprised, even though her eyes widened, and she wrapped the hoodie around her again. Sho stared. _Blackmail….it never ended well in the movies. But then again, why not?_ The thought sent an excited frission through him, and he sat up straighter.

"I've already been making a point of sneaking around to gather things for a…different investigation of mine, so I have a substantial body of evidence already. But with more heads gathered together, we could really find something damning. Plus, you've both got super-sneak skills and deflective charm. Which is exactly what we need."

"I am also vaguely familiar with the mechanics of blackmail." Emiko added, semi-airily.

 _Substantial body…._ Sho wondered if this was something to do with that Eizan box. He knew it wouldn't do any good to ask, though. As for Emiko…he was not sure he fully wanted to know what 'vaguely familiar' meant, but _damn, girl_.

"Sounds cool to me." Sho said.

Shino snorted at that.

"Of course it does. "

"But anyway, we're still part of the group, right?" Sho asked. "Doing this alongside them?"

"Well, kinda. I don't think all of them are fully on-board with the idea of blackmail, so perhaps keep that portion schtum for now." Shino said. "But sure, we can always say we're gathering evidence of mis-deeds to help the group. Like for the counter-documentary."

"I am all for it." Emiko declared.

"Yeah, so am I!" Sho said.

And as they fist-bumped to essentially, 'seal the deal' he wondered, _how much more exciting could life get?_


	26. Preparation, part 1

After dinner-once their parents had given their reminders to do their homework and go to bed on time and gone back to work-Kaneda and Kagami settled down on the sofa in the living room, and Kaneda turned on the television, and flicked through the channels to see if any of them were showing any of the news reports that would have resulted from the filming of the day before.

 _I hope you minded your words if you got filmed,_ his father had said sternly when they had been talking about it. Kaneda thought he had. He might be odd, he knew that full well, but he wasn't stupid. And he was walking a thin line, really. But in the end he had just drawn on the positive feelings he did still have, the reasons he had once been able to simply like Hope's Peak. There was nothing simple about his feelings for his school any longer, thanks to Mizuki Teranaga and all the others, thanks to the riots. But he had dreams, and he wanted everyone to be happy. That was all that mattered, in the end.

"There, that's Hope's Peak!" Kagami exclaimed.

Kaneda smiled fondly at her and paused at the channel, and they watched for a few minutes. It looked to be the tail end of the report, and so it only lasted a few moments before moving onto a different news story. Kagami grabbed the remote from him, and after a few moments found a different news station, and they settled down and watched. A short clip of Mizuki appeared, and Kaneda casually pointed her out to Kagami as someone who had moved from Reserve Course to Main, a symbol of achieving dreams. _Though, why do I have a feeling it wasn't her dream, as such?_ It was something that Kaneda felt fairly sure about, if only because from the interactions he'd had with her, it seemed that Mizuki Teranaga had bigger, bigger dreams. _Which I am helping with…._

"Onii-Chan!"

Kaneda startled, and realised that Kagami was frowning at him in annoyance.

"What is it?"

"It's you! Didn't you notice?"

As it happened, the voice blaring out of the screen was indeed very familiar-because it was his. _Well then._ He focused his attention onto it, and listened mindlessly as he watched his past self speaking to the reporter, smiling and laughing.

" _So, overall, how do you feel about being a student of Hope's Peak?"_

" _I am very, very proud-"_

His portion wound up, and another person was shown-a main course student this time, though nobody that he particularly knew. He watched for a moment, and then:

"Onii-Chan?"

"Yes?"

"Is Hope's Peak _proud_ of you?"

Kaneda looked at Kagami, who gazed back at him openly. Openly, and seriously, and innocently. Was it only just over a month ago when there had been riots, and she had been worried for him? He had thought that his goal from that moment was to make sure that Hope's Peak never gave Kagami a reason to cry like that again. But what if it was to make sure that she could see that it had good, and could be better? That he could be a source of pride for the school, even if he did not possess a talent?

 _In the end, isn't that what all of this is about?_

"Well…" he let out a breath. "I sure hope so, Kagami!"

"They're silly if they're not." Kagami declared childishly.

Kaneda laughed, and ruffled his little sister's hair. She squealed and moved away, but beamed happily. Returning her attention to the screen, she noticed a Main Course student who was famous in one way or another, someone she and her classmates were fans of and enthusiastically pointed them out to him. He focused his attention fully on that, and on her happiness.

It was all that mattered, really.

 **…**

"Ahh, you're mentioned here too!"

Minah smiled politely as she looked at the latest article that Mawa was eagerly sharing with everyone at the lunch table. All morning, it had been article this, video clip that, and it didn't seem to be relenting. So far she had opted for the neutral smile, nod, occasional remark approach, and it had been fine. Mostly.

"It's natural that she would be mentioned a lot!" Leah pointed out. "She's popular, and she's on the Wall of Fame!"

"Yeah, but still, it's cool, right? Seeing your name like this."

"I….I haven't got an opinion either way, really." Minah said, neutrally.

Which was mostly true. It was not as if television appearances and interviews were anything new to her. Which her friends knew very well. _Still, it's an excitement for them._ Like Leah, for SHSL did not often allow for media appearances, so it was natural that it'd be a novelty for her. _It could be worse, I suppose._

"It's kind of fun to be the subject of an article for a change, rather than the writer."

This came from Shuuhei, who laughed and ran a hand through his dark red hair as he said this. Emlyn, sitting next to him, said nothing as he watched them all, dark eyes scrutinising them sharply, even as his facial expression was content.

"I kinda wish they'd managed to catch me for interviews, it would have been cool." Satoshi Kusanagi, the Lucky Student of their year group called over.

"Why would they, you're just a Lucky Student!" another of their classmates called over.

"Ah, shut it, Uchida!" Mawa called. "You're just salty because you won't get to be on TV this time around either!"

"And cos Shoemakers don't get TV spots either!" Shuuhei said.

"Oh, fuck off." Uchida said grumpily.

"Ah, now, now!" Shuuhei laughed easily, leaning into Emlyn.

"Anyway, I heard that the first year Lucky Student got interviewed, and I think the third year one is going to be on the documentary." Ai added.

"When is the next instalment coming out anyway?" Minah asked, curious despite herself.

"I think they're coming back for the party, so after that. I think?" Leah said, scrunching her face up thoughtfully.

"That sounds about right, I think." Satoshi, apparently none the worse for Uchida's jab, said evenly. "Man, I am looking forward to that party."

This prompted a flurry of agreement and eager discussion about the party, which was in a few days' time. Minah herself was looking forward to it, just for the social aspect, so this time she involved herself in the conversation. But somehow, inevitably, the topic turned back to the documentary and articles.

"Your new friend is showing up in these articles." Mawa remarked, turning her phone over to show Minah.

Minah just nodded, prepared to give another generic response, when her brain caught up with what Mawa was saying, and she actually looked, to see that it was about Mizuki. _Ah, of course they would, after all…_

"I suppose that is understandable." Minah said. "Her circumstances would seem unusual?"

"Well, I mean, it's kinda rags to riches, right?" Ai asked.

"You talking about Teranaga?" a classmate called out.

"Yup!" Mawa said. "She's her new friend."

Minah cringed inwardly as Mawa pointed to her and grinned. Her classmates stared at her. Though Emlyn's gaze continued to be sharp, all the others mostly looked gobsmacked. Minah tried her best to not blush, and knew she was only partially successful.

"You're friends with her?" Uchida sneered.

"Yeah, that's a shocker." Shuuhei said. "Never figured her to be one for making friends."

"She might have hidden layers." Emlyn said, mildly, playing with Shuuhei's hair.

"Ah, I know, Em." Shuuhei looked at Emlyn adoringly. "She's a good enough person but….yeah, not a friend."

"I know, right?" another classmate said.

"Uppity bitch." Uchida added in elaboration.

This caused laughter, and Minah internally cringed.

"Still, it's kinda cool she's around," another classmate said. "It's like a rag to riches story, right? It's like, the dream to be Talented."

 _I wonder, is it?_ Minah didn't hate it, as such, but she knew what she really liked was not the title, but the fact that she had the skill, all of the hard work to prove the skill under her belt and more yet to come. The title was just…an effect of that, even if she was grateful.

"Ehh, it's hardly rags to riches," Ai said. "Isn't she like, part of some really important business family?"

"Yes, that's right, the Teranagas. She's inherited all now too," Shuuhei said. "So she isn't part of a family anymore, but she has the actual money. And the business."

 _Isn't part of a family anymore….does he mean…?_

"Well, that's the rags to riches part, right? That she's a tragic orphan!" the same classmate who had made the 'rags to riches' point declared.

"Tch, I'd bet you at least half the kids here are orphans, or at least half-orphans. It's basically a prerequisite. Nobody cares." Another classmate said.

"Oi, oi, that's a bit harsh…." Uchida said.

"That's rich, coming from you."

"I agree." Minah spoke up at this point, unable to hold back. "That's uncalled for."

Almost immediately, they all stared at her as if she had grown horns. Very quickly though, Leah, Mawa and Ai seemed to get it, and they all rounded on the classmate who had made their comment.

"Yeah, I agree, that was rude."

"What's wrong with you?"

"That's a messed up thing to say!"

"What, it's-"

"Don't say any more, arsehole!" Mawa declared. "Don't you _dare_. Ladies, I think I've finished my lunch. What about you?"

"Yes, I'm finished." Minah said, unable to hide her relief.

The four of them got up and left, putting away their lunch trays and heading outside. As soon as they were on the grassy area, Mawa turned and put her hands on Minah's shoulders, and looked at her.

"That Isobe-Chan, I love her but…..ugh. She knows that you're an orphan too, what is her problem?"

"It's fine….really."

"No it's not!" Mawa said.

"I….could we not talk about it?" Minah asked. "Please."

"Ah, sure!" Leah said. "Guys, don't harass her."

"We're not harassing her!"

"Um, yes you are? Well, you're close to it."

Minah sighed, and looked out across the grass, letting them at it. She loved them for standing up for her, yet all she wanted to do was walk away from them. _Tragic orphans….that's what I am, and that's what she is. I wonder, is it more than coincidence that we got to know each other? If fate was a real thing, it would work like this, would it not….?_

Minah's attention was snagged by a familiar red-haired figure walking across the grass. Mizuki appeared to be lost in thought, and had not noticed Minah. _….and her horns appear, as they say. Maybe fate is a real thing._ Almost on instinct, Minah stepped forward, and began to wave.

"Teranaga-san!"

Mizuki startled, and looked over to see Minah. She held her hand up in acknowledgement, and walked over.

And Minah smiled more genuinely than she had all day.

 **…**

Walking back from the off-campus dorms, Keiko mentally listed all the things that she had to do. First, make sure she had clean clothes for the party, and wash whichever of her clothes weren't clean. Then, call home and check her siblings were okay, and go through any homework with the two younger ones (while trying not to hope that her father would be home too). Then call her uncle to check on her cousins. Then, continue writing her report about the new detergents and soaps she had been working on during her lab time, and work out what she needed to do in her lab sessions the next week to make the most of the time. Then, perhaps try to map out what she would do for the talent exams. Keiko sighed at the thought of it all.

 _Well, at least I have more time to do it in._ The off-campus laundry duty rarely lasted as long as the scheduled time, if only because it seemed living off campus allowed for more self-sufficiency. In some ways, it was almost pointless being there. Though at least she could chat idly with her fellow Main Course students, which was not something she often got to do.

As she got closer to the entrance of the Main Building, she spotted Anya from the Student Council struggling to carry a pile of boxes that she could barely see over, weaving unsteadily from side to side. Instinctively, Keiko rushed over, and hitching her own bag over her shoulder, quickly plucked two of the boxes.

"Oh!"

Anya startled, and looked over at Keiko.

"Oh, it's you, Usui-san! Thanks, you saved me!"

"It isn't a problem. Isn't there anyone to help you at the moment?" Keiko asked.

"Ah, well, we're all mad busy, getting things ready for Monday!" Anya said. "Everyone's doing something, pretty much. Well, all of us on the Student Council and a buncha volunteers. Even some Reserve Course students, can you believe it?"

"I…why wouldn't they help?" Keiko asked after a moment of trying and failing to find a more adequate response.

"Ehh, well, you know what they're like." Anya said chirpily.

"I wouldn't really." Keiko said diplomatically.

 _That isn't really standing up for them, is it?_

Keiko tried to ignore the internal voice scolding her and concentrated on following Anya to where the boxes needed to go.

"Ah, well," Anya continued. "Most of them are people's TEPs and stuff so that might be something to do with it. But I guess more hands are good, right?"

"Yes, they are."

Anya continued to prattle on about the party preparations and Keiko continued to give vague but appropriate replies until they reached the hall. Keiko and Anya put the boxes down, and Keiko was about to give her farewells and leave when suddenly, Nomura came by.

"Ah, Usui-san, you're finished with the laundry duty?"

"Yes, I just came to help Nakanishi-san, she was struggling with the boxes." Keiko explained.

"Ah, that's good." Nomura nodded. "Well, if you don't mind, could you go and help in the canteen? I believe that the group that are there are struggling somewhat."

"Oh, well…." Keiko could feel all her plans for the rest of the day drifting away.

But how could she say no, with the expectant looks from both of them? And the help was needed…

"Of course!"

"Thank you very much, Usui-san. I know we can always count on you." Nomura said. "Well, I will leave it at that."

With that, Nomura walked away. Anya gushed more thanks, and she rushed off too, and Keiko sighed. _Well, best get on with it._ Slowly, she left the hall, and began to make her way to the canteen.

"Look yeah, I don't give a shit anymore, alright?!"

Keiko startled at the outburst, which pierced through the fluctuating sounds of hustle and bustle, and she came to a halt as she looked around to see where it came from. The answer turned out to be not too far in front of her.

The words had come from none other than Riko, who was glaring from underneath her messy green hair at Sosuke, and to a certain extent Mihoko, who was hovering and looking very uncomfortable. From Sosuke's next words, Keiko could understand why.

"Regardless of what you feel, you are in your role for a reason, and as such you must take part as befits your role."

"Oh, and what reason do you think I'm in this for? Because I want to?" Riko flared.

"You are a Main Course student, behave like it-"

"Like I said, do you think I-"

"Ah, Izumi-chan, do you think you could come and help me?" Keiko said, hurriedly going over. "I heard the canteen needs people, and maybe you could keep me company?"

They all turned to look at her, and Keiko went red. Mihoko raised an eyebrow, while Sosuke also gave her an interested look. Riko, on the other hand, simply glared, looking between them before running a hand through her hair and messing it up even more before she sighed.

"Fine, anything to stop him from harping on at me for no good reason."

"I-"

"Mori-kun, let Izumi-chan have a time to cool down, alright? Looks like you could use some time as well. Come, Izumi-chan, we can get something to eat, that always makes people feel better!"

Quickly, the same way she would avert a toddler tantrum, she shepherded Riko away and continued down the corridor, only half-hearing Mihoko make a remark that sounded snarky and Sosuke making a stiff response before their footsteps clattered and eventually faded in the opposite direction. Neither of them said a word until they made it to the canteen, where evidently some tables had been in the process of being rearranged or put away and surfaces had been in the process of being cleaned. There were two others there, who acknowledged them with a nod and then got on with it. Keiko dug around in her bag for some coins, and then went to the vending machine. She noticed a box with decorations next to it, and peered in it curiously for a moment, before she made her selections, put the coins in and waited for the chocolate bar and the orange juice to drop through. Once they had, she bent and picked them up, and carried them back to Riko.

The girl glowered at her, but then nodded slowly and took them. Keiko pulled out a snack from her own bag, and the two of them stood there in silence for a while, eating and drinking. Once they were done, Keiko threw away the rubbish.

"Alright, you ready to start tidy-up now…I mean, shall we get started?"

Her slip-up seemed to get a smile from Riko who nodded, albeit reluctantly. _Well, that is something._ They then spent time pushing table along the side of one wall to form one long table, doing the same against another wall and then folding up all the other tables to put away in the storeroom next door, before decorating the area with signs, wall hangings and pretty tablecloths and throws. By the time they got to the cleaning though, Keiko and Riko were the only ones left. Somehow, Keiko was not surprised at this, and acknowledged the realisation with nothing more than a little sigh. However, Riko came to a screeching halt, and glowered.

"What the ever-loving hell?" she asked. "After all that preaching about responsibility, they get to just wander off?"

"Maybe they have something scheduled in their Talent Develo-"

"And? So did I! Not like I was going to use it for that anyway, but so did I, but no. The fucking hypocrisy of this place…."

"I, Izumi-chan, I'm sure they didn't mean anything…."

"Psh, of course they did. They always do."

Riko started to move again, attacking her task with ferocity. But her words kept coming, a torrent of rage spreading over the room and washing over everything in it, Keiko included.

"It's all Talent this, and Talent that, and making sure everything is all glittery and wonderful so nobody notices that underneath it's just dirt. They don't want us to be human beings, just robots that can carry out a particular set of skills. God forbid that you know, are a well-rounded being with more skills or interests than the one of your main talent. And god forbid you think that being ordinary is good too."

"I….I think that is changing. I'm sure it is, people have spoken about it." Keiko tried to say ineffectually, thinking of their group.

"Oh and look how well that turned out! I mean, Kumori, he-fuck, never mind about that, he doesn't deserve to get into more crap than he has already."

Keiko, of course, knew what she was referring to, but decided not to say it. Though she had to wonder if Kumori had told her anything about them. It was honestly hard to say.

"But yeah, this place is rotten. And I've had enough of it. Enough. I don't even know…."

Riko's voice hitched at this for a moment, and she halted, bowing her head.

"I don't even know what I'm…."

When Riko looked up, her eyes shone with unshed tears, which she violently wiped away. Keiko noticed how dark the shadows underneath her eyes were, and how unkempt she seemed-not just the hair, but everything.

"Is something the matter, Izumi-chan?" she asked. "If you'd like, we could talk about it and maybe-"

"I've just been telling you, haven't you been listening?" Riko shot back.

"I…."

"Besides, what could you do? Like you could ever understand what it is like to be trapped by the thing you're supposedly the best at? Look at you, all softly-softly and always eager to help, swooping in to solve things like I'm a fucking toddler, like you're the perfect classmate. You're just _so_ perfect, aren't you? "

Riko's mouth turned into a sneer, and the instinctual defences that swarmed in Keiko's mind- _oh, I do know, I promise you, I do. And this perfection isn't as perfect as you think. It's all I have, all I know-_ stopped short of leaving her mouth as she stepped back in shock. She trembled under the contempt that Riko was now regarding her with.

 _This isn't Izumi-chan._

The realisation hit Keiko hard. Sure, she had never really known Riko well enough to, well, know her. She had simply been another classmate, fading into the background as Keiko got through each day knowing full well she was just background in her classmates' lives. _How hypocritical of me…perhaps there is some truth in that._ But, even so, the person standing in front of her did not look anything like the Riko she had thought she had known. The Riko she thought she'd known, however peripherally, had never been cruel. And now she was thinking about it, not as unhappy. Perhaps she had never been happy, per se, but like this…

… _well, now what?_

"I….that is not like you."

"Isn't it?" Riko sneered, expression even more twisted. "How would you even know?"

When Keiko just stared at her, Riko snorted and continued with the cleaning. It was clear that she did not expect an answer, as she soon started to talk.

"Well, it's not as if it will matter anymore. None of it."

"A-and why is that?"

"Well, I'm sure as hell not turning up to this. Or anything."

"I…." To Keiko's ears, Riko's voice was spiky enough that there was a clear hidden meaning within the words that she was using. But whatever it was, she could not glean it.

"That's a shame," Keiko said neutrally, starting to gather up the cleaning materials. "I think the party might be a good stress reliever."

"Psh. Putting aside the whole, no it really won't be, like I said. I won't be around for it."

"I….well, I suppose that is your prerogative."

"Not like you could stop me even if you wanted to. My mind is made up, and I'm not going back. You can pass that onto that fucking square if you want to."

Keiko presumed the 'square' (and the accompanying expletive) in question was Sosuke, and she made a mental note to ask him about Riko herself. Presumably they'd been in conflict for a while. And besides, wouldn't changing Hope's Peak mean change for Main Course conditions too? It was all too obvious to her than things were not perfect for them, either, even if the Reserve Course students did of course need help. But she shared none of this with Riko, and the two of them instead returned to a silence-uneasy this time- to continue tidying, and to put the materials away.

When they were done, Keiko looked around her. The place looked quite nice, even if she did say so herself, all gold and silver, all ready for whoever was doing the catering to come in and place their food and drinks in place, and then for all the guests to swarm and enjoy themselves.

"Well, we did quite a good job, don't you think?" Keiko said cheerily. "Well done!"

Riko simply snorted.

"Still makes no difference to me."

And with that, she stormed off. Though at least now she was straight-backed and resolute, as if she had come to some sort of resolution. Not that Keiko could glean what it was meant to be. With a wistful sigh, she picked up her bag, rolled her sleeves back down, and headed out herself to salvage whatever she had left of her evening plans.

* * *

 **This was a tricky chapter to write, though I can't really put my finger on why. But yeah, here it is. I hope you liked it!**


	27. Preparation, part 2

Emiko stepped back and regarded the clothing collection she had on her bed (and the boxes of clothes that she had put around the bed, too).

"Yeah, that should be more than enough!" Emiko grinned.

Greg the cat, who was sitting placidly in an empty clothes box, mewled in agreement.

"I'm glad you think so too!" Emiko cooed at the cat. "And you're gonna have a friend come to play, too!"

It wasn't like she wanted to give away all her clothes, after all. And besides, Shino and Mihoko were both fairly tall, whereas Hana-bless her-was small. There was no way all her clothes would fit them. But hopefully she had enough to make this girly clothes-swap session more than worth it. _Now all I have to do is wait._ Her butler would answer the door, and send them up as they came, though maybe she'd go down the stairs to meet them halfway or something, who knew?

With a grin, Emiko bounded over to her phone and settled it into her speakers on her dressing table, somehow finding space in amongst the make-up she had set out. Because of course they were going to work on their whole looks and not just the clothes. _We'll be the best dressed Reserve Course girls, and won't that show them all?_ She was expected to have a certain level of glamour as a Shishikane anyway, but this was not about that. Not even slightly.

 _But I don't want to admit what it's really about_. Her fingers trembled over her phone, and she took a breath. No matter how much she derided that incident as trivial, as nothing to everyone else, she could not fool herself. She suspected that she hadn't fooled the likes of Shino, either, but that was another story. Even admitting it here, in the safety of her head, in the safety of her room was a big step.

 _Still, as long as my family never know, that is what matters._ Because if that incident had been good in any way, it had tightened her resolve to do what she was doing. To keep going until finally, she could be her own person. Nothing was going to stop her. Not now.

 _So, stop moping around! It's time to have fun!_

Emiko grinned to herself, bounced on her feet to pep herself up, and quickly found a playlist. She put it on shuffle, and then proceeded to dance around, half-singing to the lyrics. Greg mewled in accompaniment too.

" _Boku no jinsei no endorooru_

 _nagamete sutto usurawarai wo shita…"_

"Emiko-sama?"

"Woah!" Emiko jumped and whirled around to the door. "Masako, you scared me!"

"I apologise, Emiko-sama." Her maid asked. "I just wanted to know if you wanted snacks bought up or not?"

"Ah, maybe when they all get here." Emiko said airily.

"Very well, Emiko-sama. I'll leave you to it."

"Cool, thanks!" Emiko made the effort to say (even if for no other reason than it was a decidedly un-Shishikane thing to do). "Oh, and Masako?"

"Yes?"

"If Father happens to phone and ask, just highlight that the Otsuki's daughter is here and be vague about the others?"

Masako smiled knowingly at this. Of course, Emiko still couldn't tell her _everything_ , because in the end Emiko was not her employer. But Masako and the other staff in this house were more parent like than her actual parents, and that counted for so much.

"Of course, Emiko-sama."

"Thank youuuuu!"

This time, the thanks were out of gratitude, and Emiko grinned at Masako's retreating form and the closing door, before continuing to dance around and just really let her hair down until she heard the doorbell ring, and the sounds of her butler greeting what sounded like all three of them.

 _All right then, let's get this pre-party party started!_

 **…**

"Ah, come on, Otsuki-Chan, you're not going to take the chance to do your hair differently?"

Emiko pouted as Hana blushed, and Shino just smirked at it all. This exchange had been going around in circles for a few moments, and sure enough, Hana gave the response she had been giving all this time. They rolled their eyes at Mihoko conspiratorially as they took of their boots and handed them to Mihoko.

"My hair is short."

"Nah, their hair is short!" Emiko declared, pointing at Shino's pixie cut.

"Hey, hey, don't involve me in this!" Shino laughed.

"Yes, we're currently talking shoes." Mihoko said.

"Which you bought along so many of!" Shino exclaimed.

"….." Mihoko stared. "Look how much clothes there are around us."

"That's true, that's true."

"Aww, but come on, you always wear your hair like that. I mean, the flower is pretty and all, but don't you ever want to do something different?" Emiko wheedled.

"N-no." Hana's hand reached defensively to the pretty white flower fascinator in her hair. "I like it."

Her blush deepened, and Shino raised an eyebrow at it. _What's the big deal,_ they wondered, _it's pretty and all but…_ But looking at how defensive Hana seemed as she gazed at them all with those wide eyes that made her seem younger than Shino and Emiko, not older, it clicked.

"OH!"

Apparently, it had for Emiko too. Shino smirked and leaned back to watch.

"Otsuki-Chan, spill!" Emiko commanded. "I wanna know everything about the boy-or girl, whatever, who gave that to you."

"A boy…" Hana said, before clapping her hands over her mouth and staring at them all, stricken.

"I knew it!" Emiko cheered. "So, go on, spill."

"Holy crap, leave the girl alone." Mihoko remarked. "Don't embarrass her. Though, while I'm at it, if you're worried we're going to spill to your parents or something, then you might as well stop here. I think it's pretty clear none of us could care less. Unless he's a sleazebag."

"Riku isn't a sleazebag!" Hana said hotly. "Just…not rich."

"Psh, of course." Emiko said, flapping her hand dismissively. "But anyway, back to the matter at hand, which is….."

"Actually, I have a solution to that." Shino said.

In truth, it had just come to them while observing Hana during this all exchange. As the others stared at them, Shino went to their own bag, and pulled out another beret from their bag-a white one this time. They walked over to Hana.

"Here, take that off, then put this on for a moment. Trust me."

Hana stared, and then obliged slowly. She clung to her fascinator for dear life and looked absolutely baffled when Shino beckoned to her to hand it over, but did oblige. After studying the clip on the fascinator, Shino then proceeded to clip it to the beret, then stepped back.

"Well, what do you guys think?"

Hana was wearing the pale pink-almost white-dress that she had bought along with her and had said was her usual 'formal wear', along with the gauzy scarf she had been wearing when she had arrived, though wrapped around her shoulders like a shawl rather than around her neck. On her head, the white beret with the fascinator now on its' side looking for all the world as if it was part of the hat itself. The charm bracelet she almost always wore remained on her wrist, but a plain silver bracelet that belonged to Emiko was now on her other wrist, as well as a floral necklace.

"Suits you." Mihoko said bluntly.

"Yeah, you look adorable!" Emiko said. "So pretty!"

"I…I do?" Hana asked.

"Yes! Take a look for yourself!" Shino said.

They watched as Hana turned to look in Emiko's full-length mirror, turning this way and that, regarding herself sceptically, before her wary expression brightened, and she looked back at them to smile.

"I like it."

Greg and Misty, who had both been perfectly happy nestling in an empty clothes box, looked up to meow in apparent agreement, causing them all to laugh for a moment.

"Then, that's one person sorted!" Emiko clapped decisively. "We can do the make-up once all our outfits are done, alright. Now, who is next…..?"

Emiko looked from Mihoko to Shino, and her eyes eventually landed on Shino.

"Oh, geez, what are you going to do to me?"

"I'm not!"

Emiko looked mock-hurt, and even though it was just mock-hurt, Shino instantly regretted it. After all, it was the first time in a while Emiko's happiness had seemed simply that.

"Ah, fine, but just so you know, nothing can be done with my hair. And my beret is staying."

"Oh fine, fine. Sakurai-Chan, help me out, alright!"

 **…**

" _Nimotsu wa mou tsumeta_

 _atarashii chizu mo motta_

 _kasa wa oite ikou tama ni wa nurete mo ii_

 _kyou no hi o waraeru ka_

 _tadashii to omoeru ka wa_

 _ashita no jibun shidai da subete.."_

After some time-and a brief pause for snacks-the four of them proceeded to continue to look for outfits for each other, with a playlist of Emiko's playing out. Emiko had eventually been the next to find an outfit-a black long-sleeved cold-shoulder shift dress that Hana had bought with her to give away (though why Hana had it in the first place, considering it was clearly too large, was a mystery. Probably a rich girl thing, Shino reflected), a diamond bracelet and necklace set, and a pair of black knee length boots from Mihoko. She had also asked Shino for a pair of their shorts to wear underneath the dress, though she had been deliberately vague on why. But it was not as if she needed to say why.

Indeed, as Emiko and Hana experimented with each other's make-up, and Shino and Mihoko continued to wade through garments, Shino could not help but keep a closer eye on Emiko. They supposed it would not have been noticeable, but when Emiko had rejected the red one-shouldered dress before it had not been because it was something 'she always wore' and was 'at risk of making even more boring'. No. There had been a moment when Emiko had assessed it against some other criteria as she'd held it against herself, looking at the slits up the thighs and the depth of the neckline, and most likely remembering.

At least, that was Shino assumed she was doing. They figured, if something like that had happened to them, they'd do the same. But it was not as if they would know that. Which they had always thought a small mercy. But now, they were watching a friend, and had no idea what was just natural coping, and what was a sign to be concerned about.

 _What, exactly, am I supposed to do?_

"Um, hello?"

Shino blinked, and looked at Mihoko, who was holding up a sleeveless button-down shirt in a pale blue. But they didn't react. Mihoko raised an eyebrow, and thrust the shirt at Shino, before following their gaze. There was a moment, during which Shino tugged the shirt from Mihoko's hands, and then waited, before Mihoko turned back.

"In the end, she'll be fine."

Shino pulled a face, not willing to admit their worries, and Mihoko rolled her eyes.

"Besides, isn't that why we've met? To stop things like this from ever happening again?"

Shino just shrugged at that, but not wanting Mihoko to keep probing and for Emiko to notice, they held up the shirt and eyed it.

"Looks cool, I could wear the sparkly crop top over it."

Mihoko's look told them that she knew full well what they were doing. Luckily, she went with it.

"That's not really a formal party look. What about that sleeveless cardigan? That's also shiny."

"Oh yeah, that's a thing. Forgot I had that!"

Shino picked it up, and quickly took off the top they already had on, turning their back to the other girls to do so. Once they had the new things on, they turned to Mihoko.

"Buttoned or unbuttoned?" They asked, gesturing to the cardigan.

"Unbuttoned." Mihoko replied instantly.

"Nice, now, just for the accessories….."

It did not take long for them to finalise their outfits, and after a little make-up input from Emiko (and to a certain extent, Hana, they were done).

Shino wore Mihoko's pale blue sleeveless shirt, their shiny silvery sleeveless cardigan, a black high-waisted skirt and thigh high socks with a pair of Mihoko's charcoal grey boots. Alongside this they wore a thin-chained silver necklace with a pendant of a theatre mask that Hana had bought along, and a black beret on their head (though only because all three of the others had fiercely vetoed their beanie, which they had wanted to wear originally). They already wore make-up, so apart from consenting to slightly glitterier eyeshadow than usual, Shino didn't really do anything new there. And of course, their hair was just as it was.

Mihoko wore a black tuxedo jacket with matching skinny-legged trousers, and a red bowtie with the white shirt. She had rolled up the sleeves and consented to wearing some simple silver and red bead bracelets, contributed by both Hana and Emiko, and Shino had given her a silver brooch to pin in the center of the red bow. Her shoes were strappy black gladiator sandals that belonged to Emiko. Her hair was still left down, but two small sections had been clipped back with simple hairslides, and for make-up Mihoko had simply consented to a lick of mascara, some eyeliner and some lip-gloss.

"We're finally done now?" Mihoko asked, sighing heavily.

"Yup!" Emiko said.

"I reckon we look pretty good. Better than some of those so-called 'Ultimates' are." Shino grinned.

 _It'll be like putting the middle finger up to them-oh, I can't wait to show off!_

"….Ultimates?" Emiko asked.

"Yeah, don't you know, that's what the American Hope's Peak calls their students. Apparently SHSL is too unwieldy for them." Shino said.

"Oh." Mihoko said. "Well then."

"The British title, and I think some of the other European ones use the title 'Young', though apparently the British slang for their SHSLs is 'BYT' for 'Bright Young Things'. "

"And….you know this how?" Mihoko asked sceptically.

"Oh, this that and the other." Shino said airily.

In truth, it was just a random factoid that they had picked up while looking for….more important things. If they thought about it, they probably knew all the different titles that the different Hope's Peaks used, but it was not as if that information was of much use at the moment. _Oh well, there'll probably be a way to one-up the school with it. Eventually. Maybe._

And then, the thought, _maybe Eizan would have liked these facts._ But of course, how did Shino know that for sure? They had only been five back then, after all…

"Uhh, earth to Shino?"

Shino blinked to see that Emiko, Hana and Mihoko were all sitting on Emiko's bed, next to each other. Mihoko looked faintly bored, while Hana and Emiko looked expectant-though naturally, Hana was more cautious while Emiko grinned.

"Uhh, we've gotta capture our looks for posterity, right?" Emiko asked.

Shino gave Emiko a mock-stern look, but scanned her carefully. She wasn't hunched, wrapping her arms around herself, any of the obvious signs even Shino could pick out as a sign of something being wrong. Indeed, she looked like she was ready to take on the world. And of course, in a way, that was what all of them were doing today. Getting ready to take on a part of the world, preparing their armour for a very specific battle.

 _It's fine, I'm sure. Totally fine._

"Right, yes."

Shino hopped over, and squeezed in. Emiko held up her phone-having momentarily paused her playlist-and a few pictures were swiftly snapped. Shino took a few on her phone, and promised to send them to the others later on.

"Alright, so now what are we doing?" Mihoko asked as Emiko went to put her phone back in her dressing table speakers.

Emiko paused, and looked around.

"Um….tidy up, probably."

 **…**

They did indeed tidy up. And wipe off their make-up, and change back into the outfits they had arrived in, putting their party ones carefully in their bags and sorting out the rest to go back to the correct person-though Hana and Emiko both gifted a lot of the things they had selected to them all. Hana in particular seemed relieved to be getting rid of some of the items.

After that, they just sat around and chatted, Emiko wheedling more snacks and drinks out of her maid- _her actual freaking maid, though that's hardly a surprise-_ generally goofing around and listening to music. Naturally, Mihoko and Hana were the quietest, but Shino managed to get Hana talking for a while about theatre, since they both shared that interest-it turned out that Shino had once seen a play that Hana had written and performed with her boyfriend, which caused a lot of animated discussion. But things got even more animated when a particular cheerful song came on Emiko's playlist.

"You've heard of DAYBREAK FRONTLINE?" Mihoko asked an a burst of what seemed like uncharacteristic excitement.

"Uh, who hasn't?" Emiko asked incredulously.

"I haven't….." Hana said cautiously.

"You haven't?" Mihoko spluttered. "Otsuki, you _need_ this song in your life."

Shino, naturally, agreed, but mock-sighed and declared them all followed moments of playing and replaying the song over and over again, and singing along to it.

" _saizensen tobase boku tachi ha_

 _hoshi mo nai yoru tada_

 _higashi o mezashi te iku_

 _juu san byou saki mo waka n naku tatte_

 _seiippai boku wo ikite iku_

 _nani mo koukai nante nai sa mae wo muke_

 _tomara nai sa kitto_

 _hikari no matsu hou he…"_

Eventually, they were all laughing, and the cats had come to crawl on their laps, clearly wanting in on the fun.

"We have to get the rest of the group into this too!" Emiko said.

"To do what?" Mihoko asked. "I mean, I'm all for it, but?"

"Dancing, maybe?" Hana offered.

"Uh…sure, why not? But I can't imagine some of them dancing." Mihoko said after a moment of considering this.

"No, I can't either." Shino asked.

"Let's ask them!" Emiko exclaimed. "Someone get their phone out."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

After what seemed like a never-ending staring competition, Shino heaved a huge sigh and obliged, and promptly proceeded to shoot a message off on the 'Shh!' chat. Then, the four of them moved onto other conversation topics while waiting for answers.

 **…**

When it was starting to get late, Hana gathered up her things and her cat, and made her farewells, and Emiko got her butler to see the girl out. Then, after a little while, Mihoko also decided to leave. Shino remained behind, and they continued to mess around for a while.

"Hey, don't you have to be getting home too?" Emiko asked.

"Yeah, well, I live alone, no big deal. No expectations to go home too!" Shino said breezily.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really."

Shino and Emiko stared at each other for a while, and eventually, Shino sighed.

"Look, this is going to sound dorky, but I wanted to check in on you."

Emiko tilted her head and blinked, but she started to stroke Greg absently but quite vigorously, making the cat protest.

"Why, whatever for?"

"To check that you are alright-"

"Hey, I keep saying, it was nothing."

"The bastard's hand went up your shirt, I'd say it was _something_ , or pretty close." Shino snapped.

Emiko stared, mouth open in a perfect 'O', and Shino wondered why they had snapped. _I'm not angry at Emiko. But…_ Shino continued to stare Emiko down until eventually, the pink haired girl sighed, and started to fiddle with her bangs.

"It was nothing. Because if it was something, then…." Emiko took a deep breath. "Then…."

Shino waited, feeling their muscles tense up. Emiko looked into the distance, and then smiled.

"You think I want to let him win?" she said. "To make me a scared, cowed little girl who won't say boo to a goose?"

"Emiko, you could never be that." Shino shook their head. "Besides, he sounds like he's just got an over-inflated sense of importance. "

"Exactly!" Emiko exclaimed. "Exactly. So…it shouldn't matter to me, right?"

"But it does. I can tell." Shino insisted.

"Oh, _really_?"

Emiko raised an eyebrow, but she smiled too, taking the edge of her words.

"Yeah, you're right? Happy now?" Even as she said it, she shook her head to Shino's protest. "No, I know that wasn't the point, but, well…"

"Well, I'm not really good at the whole comfort thing but I'm sure you know if you need to talk to me and all that, I'm happy to lend an ear."

Shino was aware the words were painfully inadequate, but it was not as if they knew better. After all, as they had just said, they were not good at the whole comfort thing. But Emiko smiled.

"Yeah, I know." She said. "It's cool. Besides, something tells me you're softer than you think you are."

"Me, soft? Nah, I'm all spikes."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yah-ah."

"No, I haven't a soft bone in my body."

"Oh, really now? I bet deep down you're quite a romantic." Emiko grinned wickedly. "I bet you'd make quite good girlfriend material."

"I'm not a girl, though."

Almost as soon as the automatic response left Shino's mouth, she realised that wasn't quite the point. Emiko's hesitance seemed to underline that. Shino frowned at her.

"Was…that a confession?"

"Uh….maybe?" Emiko pouted, and made an attempt to look coquettish, but when Shino just stared at her, she sighed.

"Not…directly as such. But, like, I know that technically, you're not a girl, and I'm all about the girls, but for one thing, you're female enough to rate solidly on my scale of attraction anyway. And if I was going to date right now, I'd want it to be someone like you. Who actually cares about me as me."

"Oh."

There was a silence. Shino did not know how to respond, it was as if their brain had decided to stop working. _Uh….what am I supposed to say? Aaaaaaa. Also why? Is this some other sign I should be concerned? Or is it just Emiko being Emiko?_

"I, well…..thanks, I guess? Unfortunately, I'm not in the dating game right now." Shino managed eventually.

"Oh…I…."

"There are…other things I need to do first."

 _Like Eizan. And bringing this school down._

"Besides, I'm pretty sure you're hardly in a position to be out now anyway, are you?" Shino pointed out when Emiko continued to give her a disappointed look.

"Well, no, but…" Emiko went red, and a dozen expressions flitted on her face before eventually her shoulders sagged.

"No, you're right."

"Ah, don't look so downcast!" Shino tried to be breezy. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily."

"…"

"We're still partners in crime, right? We've got a revolution to start and all that jazz."

Shino held out their hand as if to receive a high-five. Emiko considered this for a moment, and then she smiled slowly, the expression gradually becoming a grin. She held out her own hand, and they high-fived.

"Hell yeah."

And with that, Shino could almost believe Mihoko's claim that Emiko would be just fine.

 **…**

Later, much later, when Emiko was getting ready for bed, she replayed that conversation in her head. _What is it, exactly, I was hoping for?_ She knew Shino well enough to figure that they would not have agreed to that sort of arrangement just because she asked for it.

 _Yet, that's why I tried it anyway, wasn't it? Because in the life that's my own, that's what I want._

Emiko sighed, and with all her feelings heavy on her head, she abruptly sat in the middle of her spotless fluffy carpet, and sighed, resting her head in her hands. She was dimly aware of Greg padding over to prod at her hand with his little nose, but she didn't respond to him like she usually would. Instead, she just sat there. Thinking, feeling. Not sure of what she was doing with those thoughts and feelings.

 _Is it hopeless, after all?_

Tiredly, Emiko looked up-and her eyes landed on her party outfit hanging outside her wardrobe, waiting for the day she would be wearing it.

"I'm going to be one of the best dressed Reserve Course girls there." She said aloud to herself.

With some effort, she got up, and found her phone. She went to her gallery, and bought up a photograph they had all taken in their finalised outfits. Emiko looked at the dress-not quite as alluring as her usual choices, but somehow suiting her better, and still daring with those cold shoulders and short skirt length, and her hair done in a messy up-do of a kind she never usually went for before, no lion-shaped hairclip in sight. Emiko brushed a finger over the image of her hands flashing a peace symbol, her big smile, the defiant tilt of her gaze.

In this picture, she was magnificent. She was herself. And this was enough to show that, at least for now.

And with that thought, Emiko smiled, bigger and brighter, until she matched the picture she was holding.

* * *

 **I mean it's probably obvious, but Emiko's confession to Shino wasn't really a 'proper' romantic-feelings sorta thing as much as it is...well, what do you think it could be, considering =D? But you might be interested to know that in my initial plans the confession was meant to be at least partially 'proper' one, but when it came to actually writing the chapter, it didn't quite work. Hence, writing it out like this. Still, it will have ramifications for how they see each other, later down the line, and things like that.**

 **Also, the songs whose lyrics I dumped in this chapter are all on the ASIB playlist. One of them was obviously named, but I wonder if you recognize the others =D Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And see you next time :)**


	28. Preparation, part 3

Finally reaching the bottom of one page, Hana sighed and turned to the next one, and stared at it a long time, trying to decipher the words. They were not swimming any worse than usual, but she couldn't get past the jumble of the words. _Just try a little more, then take a break. Then at least you can say you tried._ After a quick glance at the door, she opened her desk drawer and pulled out the envelope she kept her coloured filters in. Furtively, she took one out, and placed it over the page. And it stilled the words somewhat, so she continued with it, all the while hoping her parents would not choose to come home at this precise moment, would not choose to walk into her room as she was still using them.

Eventually, she finished the page, and as she had promised herself, after putting away the filters she got up and went to her bed, picking her phone up off the bed. Instinctively, she went straight to 'Shh!' and found that as usual, the group had been busily chatting. Though reading the messages did require effort in the same way as her homework, having the different fonts and backgrounds helped somewhat.

Most of the chat seemed to be light chatter, nothing much about what they were even a group for in the first place.

 _Sho: vrrbrchcjkmnsdbukaslbendjwm_

 _Moko(michi): Yes_

 _Azuki: What_

 _Shino: I need to know_

 _Shino: WHAT_

 _Shino:WHAT_

 _Kumori Kurogane: Um…what is going on?_

 _Emiko;): Wait what_

 _Shino:_ WHAT

It took Hana a moment to comprehend that Sho's keyboard smash was indeed an actual keyboard smash and not just her brain refusing to process things. Though in all fairness, it didn't stand out that much from the messages that were actual words, in terms of weirdness. But even so, it was nice, if slightly disconcerting to wade through them. It was just light-hearted fun. Camaderie. Presumably the sort of non-conversations that true friends were able to have all the time, the meaningless made meaningful precisely because they were that close.

 _But we're not like that, are we?_ Hana wondered. She hadn't known any of them for long at all, even if she had known _of_ some of them for a while. And sure, Emiko had invited her to the clothes-swap and had seemed glad for her presence and not just her designer brands, and sure, Mihoko seemed cool and Keiko seemed comforting. But apart from that…were they friends like that? She just didn't know.

But despite that, she hoped that they were.

Eventually, she got to the latest messages.

 _Azuki: 'flying schools are not common'._

 _Azuki: No shit, Sherlock_

 _Yunnie: What are you talking about?_

 _Shino: I see them every day._

 _Sho: yeah same_

 _Sho: my home town built their third one last week  
_

 _Yunnie: That's not what I meant…._

 _Sho: but anyway, oh man the party is very soon isn't it_

 _Kumori Kurogane: Tomorrow._

 _Kaneda-sempai: TOMORROW? This is highly exciting!_

 _Azuki: woah calm down there._

 _Keiko Usui: There's nothing wrong with being excited._

 _Sho: WOOOOOOOOO_

 _Flower: Is the party starting first thing in the morning?  
_

Hana looked away for a moment to glance over at her outfit that was hanging in front of her wardrobe. It might have been the same sort of thing she would wear anyway, but it had a different twist to it. No doubt because she'd had different opinions offered. She liked how it looked, but was not sure how she felt about wearing it. After staring at the clothes for a moment longer, she turned back to her phone.

 _Mizuki Teranaga: The official celebrations start at 1. There will be set-up and special assemblies and talks. There'll also be time for people to get themselves ready._

 _Minah Kang: That would probably be more for people who are in dorms, right?_

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Yes, indeed._

 _Keiko Usui: That's rather impractical for the Reserve Course, though, isn't it?_

 _Emiko ;): Ah don't worry about us. I live real close by so I'll let the girls come to me._

 _Flower: ….oh, that's kind of you._

 _Emiko ;): Isn't it just? Hehehehe_

 _Sosuke Mori: The doors will technically open at 12, but as Teranaga-san has said, the official celebrations will begin at 1, and will continue on for the rest of the afternoon and evening._

 _Sho: and the night too?_

 _Sosuke Mori: Yes._

 _Sho: wiiiiiiiild_

 _Mihoko: But obviously I'm guessing Reserve Course Students are still expected to turn up as normal the next day._

 _Sosuke Mori: Of course._

 _Mihoko: Even though you guys will be able to take a day off?_

 _Sosuke Mori: Ah._

 _Sosuke Mori: I had not considered that._

 _Shino: Of course you didn't._

 _Emiko;): Shinoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

 _Shino: Emikoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

Hana stared at the messages blankly. It was not as if she had any plans to party the night away-no, she thought she would just stay long enough to be able to say that, well, she had stayed long enough, possibly hanging around with Emiko, Shino and Mihoko more than anyone and trying to stay as unobtrusive as possible before leaving.

A few more messages stacked up, mostly Shino and Emiko messing around, and eventually, Hana switched to another 'Shh!' chat she had.

 _Hana: Hi_

 _Riku: Hi, flower! How are you?_

 _Hana: I'm fine. I'm just doing my homework and just thinking about the party tomorrow._

 _Riku: Do you need any help with it?_

 _Hana: The party, or the homework?_

 _Riku: The homework mainly, but I can help with the party too!_

Hana smiled to herself. This app was certainly useful for maintaining contact with her boyfriend without fear of her parents interfering. It would also make it much easier to arrange to see him. She supposed that was one good thing of getting into all of…this.

 _Hana: The homework is fine, for now._

 _Riku: But the party isn't?_

 _Hana:…not really. But I'll manage. I don't think they'd let you in._

 _Riku: I'd still find a way. You only have to say the word, Flower._

 _Hana: It's fine. But, thank you._

 _Riku: There's no need to thank me._

Hana smiled again, this time wider. Just knowing that Riku was only a message away, happy to help her, was more than enough for now.  
 _  
Hana: I know._

 _Hana: So….anyway, what are you up to?_

 **…**

 _Sho: oh yeah! like that is the perfect sneak around opportunity_

 _Shino: Exactly, exactly. It's a golden opportunity. So, who's up for it?_

 _Emiko ;): ME!_

 _Sho: and me obvs_

 _Mihoko: Are you sure about this?_

 _Shino: Um, of course we are! You think we're turning down an opportunity like this?_

 _Mihoko: I'd never doubt you'd take this opportunity._

 _Mihoko: I was more asking, are you sure this is a good idea?_

 _Shino: yes!_

 _Mihoko: What if you got caught._

 _Sho: oh.  
Mihoko: Yes, exactly._

 _Sosuke Mori: There will also be security around the place, considering the special guests._

 _Sosuke Mori: So they will be monitoring who goes in and out of the parts of the building not designated as party space._

 _Azuki: but lemme guess they'll be so much more lax on the Main Course students?_

 _Shino: I am pretty sure they will be so it'll be fiiiiine._

 _Sosuke Mori: No. Everyone will be subject to equal levels of scrutiny given the scale of the occasion. With that being said, before anyone asks, all Security has been briefed so that no unnecessary violence is inflicted, though naturally it will not come to that._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Well, I can at least confirm that much has been done. I will be keeping an eye to make sure, though._

 _Shino: eeeeeh._

 _Emiko ;): We'll just need a good cover story, right?_

 _Sho: like what_

 _Emiko;): Oh I dunno, we're smart, we'll think of something._

 _Kumori Kurogane: well, regardless of what you do, make sure you stay safe._

After typing out that message on 'Shh!', Kumori sighed, and looked back at his text messages. Even though there were clearly no un-read messages, he still tapped on the message thread he had going with Riko and stared, willing a reply to appear.

 _It'll be fine, right? I'm just getting anxious over nothing._ More than likely, Riko was caught up in party preparation, or her own studies, and hadn't had the time to look at her phone. Besides, if it turned out that they could not have their planned study session tomorrow morning, she'd find a way to let him know.

 _Besides, I really need to finish studying._

But for his own peace of mind, he sent one more message.

 _Kumori: I suppose you must be rather busy. I hope everything is going well and that you are alright. I will see you tomorrow._

 **…**

Mizuki bumped into Mokomichi on the way to school.

"Oh, hello."

"Morning, Teranaga."

They continued walking for a while in silence.

"What are you doing here so early?" Mokomichi asked after a while.

"It isn't that early." Mizuki pointed out. "Besides, there are things that need to be done. What about you? You don't really need to be in early?"

Mokomichi just shrugged at that.

"I try to be early anyway. Besides, there's not much in particular I'd want to do at home. It might be interesting though, seeing what you are all up to."

"Do you want to join me? I could always say it is TEP?" Mizuki asked, even though she had not planned for that.

Thankfully though, Mokomichi shook his head.

"Not this time, thanks. I'll just be a casual observer."

"Alright then."

As they approached the school gates, they could see people here and there, rushing around carrying and dragging things.

"It's good it hasn't rained, we can have some outdoor spaces for the party. " Mizuki remarked.

"Mhm. There's going to be some performances, right?"

"That's right."

"This party is kind of a Talent show-off opportunity, then?"

Mizuki gave Mokomichi a sideways look. Mokomichi did not seem even vaguely perturbed, but then again that was hardly a surprise.

"Well, there are some former students coming in, but I suppose so. Though most would prefer to call it a showcase."

"Of course they do."

"You might enjoy some of though."

"I might. I mean, I won't be sticking around for the whole thing. Just because I'm hanging around with you and the others doesn't mean I'm wild about the Main Course all of a sudden."

"I wasn't expecting you to be so," Mizuki said as they swerved a group of people carrying a foldaway table. "Still, I'd be glad to see you there."

"Oh, would you now?" Mokomichi asked, just the vaguest hint of teasing in his voice.

"…"

It took Mizuki a moment to realise that Mokomichi was actually waiting to an answer. Though he did have an eyebrow raised in that way of his, which suggested he wasn't earnestly hoping for an answer.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Mokomichi simply shrugged at that, though he smiled slightly too. Mizuki sighed in exasperation, but smiled on the inside as they continued walking, Mizuki greeting people and Mokomichi quietly ignoring them as they went along. Though he did greet Keiko and Minah when they saw them, which was something at least.

"Um, why are you walking towards the West Building with me?" Mokomichi asked after a moment.

Mizuki hadn't realised that they were, but now it was pointed out to her, she realised it. They were almost near the willow tree, and she slowed her steps until they both came to a stop. Absently, she noticed that the tree was one of the few that had not been decorated, and she hoped it remained that way. It was fine as it was.

"I don't know." She thought about it. "Perhaps to see you off first before heading on my way."

"I see."

Mokomichi looked like he was about to say something else, then shook his head. After a moment though, he did speak.

"Did you manage alright?"

Mizuki blinked.

"With…what?"

"It was the first anniversary, right?"

"Oh." Mizuki tilted her head, still uncertain, though it was not as if there were any other first anniversaries in her life at the moment. "That's already passed."

"I know _that_. I just wanted to know, did you manage alright with it? I've heard that first anniversaries are always the hardest."

Mokomichi gazed at her steadily, and Mizuki floundered. It _had_ been hard. But she'd talked to Aki on the phone, Oshino had visited, she'd gone to her parents' grave and then said a prayer for them over her family shrine. And the rest of the world had kept on spinning, so there was work to do that had papered over the rest.

"I would rather not talk about th-"

Seeing just the slightest hint of something that seemed like offense, or hurt, in Mokomichi's eyes, Mizuki paused. A part of her wished that he'd remembered to ask when it had been the actual anniversary. But it was not as if she'd publicised it, and he had no obligation to find out.

 _Just like he had no obligation to light incense that day before._ And just like he had no obligation to even ask at all. The fact he had asked at all was still a lot. So, even as a part of her wished that, a much larger part of her was touched.

"But thank you, anyway." She concluded, softly.

Mokomichi simply nodded at that.

"Well then, I'm going to go. You can go onto whatever you need to do." He said.

"See you later, Yamashita-kun."

For reasons she was not sure of, she watched until Mokomichi was completely out of sight. Then, she set off on her way.

 **…**

When Mizuki arrived in the Student Council rooms, Sosuke was with Mihoko, apparently ticking off a list of things to do that Sosuke had on his Electro-ID.

"Alright, so the guest-list has been thoroughly cross-checked, and given out to the security guards…" Sosuke was saying.

"Do the Student Council get their own lists, considering their responsibilities?" Mihoko asked.

"Yes, they do." Sosuke said. "And I actually have not done that. Could you go and print off some copies?"

Mihoko simply nodded, and went to the computer.

"Good morning."

Both Sosuke and Mihoko looked up.

"Good morning." Mihoko said, simply.

"Good morning, Teranaga-san." Sosuke said. "I thought the preparations this morning would be a good opportunity for Sakurai-san to see how the Student Council helps with the organisation of such big events. "

"That's fine by me." Mizuki replied. "What do we need to do now?"

"Well, we are going to wait for President Nomura to ask if we can modify the rules to allow the Reserve Course students to go straight home if they are not attending the party." Sosuke said.

"Oh?" Mizuki asked, surprised.

"I pointed out that it was hardly fair to keep them here when all the teachers would be attending the party anyway-they could just as easily study at home." Mihoko called over from the printer, which was bleeping rather urgently.

"And I had to admit, Sakurai-san did have a point." Sosuke said carefully.

"Well, it'd be unnecessarily elitist otherwise." Mihoko said as she tapped buttons.

"Yes. Well."

Sosuke shuffled slightly, seeming slightly uncomfortable. Mihoko managed to get the printer to calm down, and it spewed out the last few pages, which she bought over and held out to Sosuke. He took them, gave them the once-over, and nodded.

"Very good. Could you label these with the names of all the members? I am sure you know them by now." Sosuke said without really looking up from whatever he was adding or deleting to the list.

"…"

"If you don't know all the kanji, the names are listed on the school website and on the ID." Mizuki offered.

"…thanks." Mihoko said, sighing slightly as she got on with doing it.

Mizuki turned to Sosuke to suggest that the next best thing to do would be to circulate around the school, when at that moment, Nomura walked into the room.

"Good morning, Nomura-san." Mizuki greeted.

"Good morning. Is everything up to scratch?"

"So far, yes." Sosuke answered before Mizuki (or even Mihoko) could say anything. "I had something to ask you, actually."

Nomura raised an eyebrow.

"Go on."

Sosuke outlined what Mihoko had said, without actually mentioning that Mihoko had said it, though from the way the blue haired girl looked up and gazed intently at the proceedings, Mizuki felt sure it was obvious she had something to do with it. And indeed, Nomura did glance over at her.

Once Sosuke had finished, Nomura took a moment to think about this, and then nodded slowly.

"I think that does seem reasonable. However, the expectation that Reserve Course students will turn up for classes as normal the next day should stay in. Otherwise they will just take advantage of the circumstances. "

"Naturally."

Mizuki fought to keep a flare of temper down, and glancing over at Mihoko, she saw an eye-roll that mirrored her own feelings.

"I'd say that similar expectations should be placed on us." Mizuki said, calmly.

Sosuke thought about this for a moment.

"Well, if there is anything timetabled, then yes. The third and second year students do have Talent Exams coming up soon after…." Sosuke reasoned.

"Or how about just make it a blanket expectation and then evaluate whether there should be exceptions on a case by case basis?" Mihoko asked pointedly.

"I think that Main Course students are capable of judging it for themselves." Nomura said. "So in their case, it will be a recommendation. Will that suffice?"

 _Not really._ But of course, Sosuke was nodding eagerly.

"Yes, yes I think that would work. I will now be off to make the rounds with Teranaga-san and my TEP here." Sosuke said quickly.

"Yes, yes, of course." Nomura said absently.

With that, Sosuke and Mizuki left, Mihoko trailing behind them. Mizuki left a space for Mihoko to walk in-between and in step with them, but Mihoko pointedly chose to walk next to Mizuki rather than Sosuke.

"I still think that ruling was unfair." Mihoko said pointedly after a moment.

"Really?" Sosuke asked, surprised. "I thought it was quite reasonable."

"Only on the surface." Mihoko shot back.

"How so? It is not as if the Main Course are completely being allowed to decide."

"Given that coming into school the next day is only a recommendation for them, and not an expectation, I think there's a world of difference."

"I agree. But, it's a slight step up. I think we should focus our energies on making sure nothing drastic happens during the party." Mizuki interjected quickly, hoping an argument would not break out with her in the middle.

"What could _possibly_ happen?" Sosuke asked.

"Many things, probably." Mihoko said. "But we've all made a promise to be on the lookout, that promise isn't on hiatus just because it is a special occasion."

Sosuke frowned over at her, and simply sighed. He did not respond though, simply looking at his to-do list on his ID.

"Well, I think our first stop should be-"

All of a sudden, the two Principals were walking up to them.

"Mori-kun, Teranaga-san….." Naegi smiled as his eyes fell on Mihoko and he struggled to recall her name. "Saru, no, wait, Saki…Sakurai-san. Ah, actually, could you leave us to talk-"

"She is my TEP, she can stay here." Sosuke said, almost dismissively.

"If you're sure." Hinata said. "Only, this is rather sensitive news that we're trusting you as Student Council members to help us break to the rest of the student body."

"I think it will be fine." Mizuki said, after looking cautiously between Mihoko and Sosuke, neither of whom she could read. "What is it?"

"Well, it's about your fellow Student Council member, Riko Izumi…."

 **…**

As always when he walked towards the Main Course buildings, Kumori kept his guard. Yet, at the same time, he kept looking at his phone, hoping for a reply. He wondered why it was Riko had not replied, and he wished that he knew for sure where they were going to meet, so at least he could be seen to be approaching her. But he felt bad for wishing it-she had enough burdens without worrying about his worries, too.

 _Besides, it looks like this party has them all occupied._ The scurrying, bustling Main Course students barely gave him a glance as they set up tables and chairs, rigged an outdoors stage, and strung lights from trees. They were all part of a huge team, coming together to create something magnificent, that would be greater than the sum of its parts. He was sure it would be amazing once it was completed and the party was in full-swing, being enjoyed by people.

He hoped that if he ever became a ringmaster, his shows would be like that.

But for now, he had to concentrate on getting to the building and his scheduled study session with Riko. So that was what he did. He was half aware of some whispers that seemed to be directed at him, once he entered the building, but he did not pay attention. He just concentrated on what he had to do.

And that was how he bumped into Mizuki, Sosuke and Mihoko. Quite literally.

"O-oh! I do apologise, I did not mean to-"

"Kurogane-san." Mizuki said, apologetically. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Sorry? What for? You weren't the one being so foolish as to not pay attention to your surroundings…"

Very quickly, from the sober expressions on the three's faces, he knew that somehow, that was not what they meant.

"I take it you are unaware then." Sosuke asked briskly.

"Aware…" Kumori was almost afraid to ask the question. "Aware of what, if I may ask?"

"Of Izumi-san's suicide."

' _Izumi-san's suicide'? So, that means, Riko-kun is…._

Kumori opened his mouth to form the questions, to finish the thought. But his head spun, and he could not hear his own voice, even as he heard a sudden flurry of activity and shouting near him.

And then everything went black.

* * *

 **Yeah, it happened. I know some of you thought that it would happen, but now it is official. But anyway, though it's only mentioned here right at the end, there will be sections in the next few chapters where there's quite a lot of exploration into the event and how various characters are processing it, so if suicide is something you struggle to read about I recommend proceeding with caution for the next chapters.**

 **But anyway, some of you who are on Discord with me may have noticed I borrowed from some incorrect quotes for the chats =D Told you i would be, hehe. Expect more of that at some point.**

 **Also, I'm going to take the opportunity to re-promote my other SYOC- _Our Ghosts Return_. It is still very much open and still very much in need of submissions, so. (I will also be updating it in a mo or so!)  
** **And since I have promoted mine, I will give a shout out to some others looking for submissions. A bunch of these have 'Danganronpa' at the front of their titles so I've just included the other bit and the author name, but should be easy enough to find. Anyway, these are:**

 ** _Below Ground_ by lxnar  
 _Last Hurrah!_ by mandipokemon  
 _Tall Tales and Other Murders_ by ChaoticMercy  
 _For whom the rabbits mourn_ by SanityRequiem  
** ** _Blood Sport_ by tobi-is-an-artist-too**


	29. Preparation, part 4

When Kumori came round, he was lying on a school infirmary bed, though he had never been inside this particular infirmary before. It was large, almost the size of what he imagined a hospital ward to be like. Sitting up, he noticed that Yuna was sitting in a chair beside his bed, while Azuki milled around awkwardly at the end of the bed.

"Oh, you're awake!" Yuna exclaimed.

"Yorokobi-sama…?" Kumori asked, dumbly.

"Oh good, you're awake. " Keiko appeared from somewhere. "How are you feeling, Kurogane-kun? Does your head hurt, or anything?"

Kumori thought about this. He didn't feel injured or anything. _But…_

"Is it true? About Riko-kun?" he asked, shakily.

Keiko, Azuki and Yuna all looked at each other, before Keiko turned back to Kumori with a sorrowful look on her face. Azuki's shoulders hunched and he pulled a face, while Yuna reached out as if to take his hand, before hesitating and then returning her hands to her lap, stricken.

"It is, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry." Keiko said.

"No, that's okay, Usui-sama." Kumori said quickly, automatically, before suddenly having to fight to hold back a sob that had built up in his throat.

"Apologies." He muttered as he put a hand to his mouth to try and stem the flow.

"Oh, no, no, don't apologise to us, there's nothing to be sorry about, you've had a terrible shock!" Usui exclaimed. "Now, let me get the nurse so we can get you out of here, and then we're going to convene in Sawada-kun's room until Teranaga-chan and Mori-kun get back from assembly. "

Kumori simply blinked at that.

"I…is that alright, Kurogane-kun?" Keiko asked softly.

 _How can anything be alright? Riko-kun is dead, and I couldn't do anything about it._ But these people, these lovely people, they were trying to help. So he nodded, and swung himself out of bed. Surprisingly, his legs managed to remain steady. He looked around for his bag, and Yuna handed it over to him, blushing hotly. He managed to give her a grateful smile as he thanked her.

They waited by the bed with Azuki as they watched Keiko converse with the nurse. It did not take long, and the nurse seemed pleased to see the back of them. As they walked up to Azuki's room, he was aware of others gawping, but Keiko led the way, and Yuna and Azuki stood either side of him, and their presence somehow held off the worst. Eventually though, he was led into a large, nice looking dorm room. He noticed clothes dumped on a chair, and all manner of things strewn out on the table.

"Look," Azuki snapped, defensively. "I didn't expect that I was gonna have you here or anything, alright?"

"No, I'm not…I'm not judging you or anything of the sort." Kumori stammered.

In truth, if there was anything to judge, was that the room did not have windows. _What a weird place the Main Course building is,_ he thought, before instantly berating himself for the hurriedly went over to the bed, and sat at the edge.

Azuki just rolled his eyes and muttered something in French, before he stalked over to his mini-fridge and opened it. After a moment, he pulled out a bottle of something luridly green. The label on it proclaimed it to be 'melon soda'.

"Here, this should be sugary enough." Azuki said, standing up abruptly, and marching over to thrust it at Kumori, who grabbed it cautiously.

"Is there something that he could eat?" Keiko inquired.

Azuki swirled around and stared at Keiko, eyes almost bugging out. After a few moments, she dug into the pockets of her cardigan, and produced a chocolate bar.

"There, this should tide you over." She said.

Kumori took that cautiously too, but did not eat it, just as he did not drink the melon soda. Instead, he held them both carefully in his lap.

"You should eat, Kurogane-kun." Yuna said, softly, coming over to sit on the bed, next to him, but not too close.

"I…" he looked down at the items. "What…happened? With Riko-kun?"

"All we know at the moment is that her parents found her in her bedroom earlier this morning." Keiko said. "It was clearly a suicide."

"I…" _How did I not know, you were so unhappy? How?_

"I can't even begin to imagine what you are going through." Yuna said, softly. "I can't imagine losing a…friend like that."

"I couldn't have, either." Kumori murmured.

"So, uh, do you want to know what's happening with you being bought up here and all that?"

Kumori looked up at Azuki, who was regarding him with a mix of expressions, his blue eyes seeming more intense than in the other times he had ever interacted with the boy.

"I…."

"I'll explain." Keiko said. "At the moment they're having the assembly about the party, and I know the Student Council had an emergency meeting to decide if the party was going to go on-"

"Though, if they're having the assembly about the goddamn party, it's a given it is happening." Azuki interrupted with a touch of bitterness.

Kumori just blinked at him.

"Yes, well." Keiko said quickly. "After that Mori-kun and Teranaga-chan will come to tell us about that, and then, well, we're going to decide what to do to help you. And whether this affects our, well, you know, the group."

"I…"

There was so much swirling in Kumori's mind, he didn't really know where to begin thinking. Where to begin feeling. It was hard enough just being able to acknowledge the fact of the situation- _that Riko-kun was dead. Dead._

"Kurogane-kun." Yuna whispered.

Kumori looked at her. She blushed, and then gently pulled the chocolate bar from his grasp, and held it out to him. The meaning was clear: _you need to eat_. And perhaps he did. Perhaps it would…well, it would change nothing. But perhaps something would become clearer. He nodded, took the bar again, and concentrated far too closely on opening it and taking a bite.

And, just as he did, a knock came at the door.

Keiko quickly answered it, and Mizuki and Sosuke came in.

"Kurogane-kun, I'm sorry for your loss." Mizuki said quickly. "This is going to probably be hard to take in, but I may as well say it right now-the party is still going to go on."

"It was deemed the right course of action." Sosuke followed up. "And she was a member of the Student Council after all, she would probably want us to keep going. But putting all that aside, it would be foolish to cancel something so large at the last minute."

"No, no, I wasn't really expecting that…" Kumori stammered.

Mizuki shot a dark look at Sosuke, and Azuki muttered something under his breath (in French or Japanese, Kumori could not tell), while Keiko just smiled, awkwardly.

"Well, that issue aside, this does bring up some issues for us all. Would you be able to manage an emergency meeting of the group in the graveyard. Say, at break time?" Mizuki asked.

There was no reason for Kumori to say no, so he just nodded, continuing eating, making a point of eating in small bites and noting every bite as he did.

"Alright, that's good, I'll get the message out." Mizuki nodded. "The next thing is-I can't imagine you'd feel up to attending class, let alone the party. Is there someone at home who could come to get you?"

Kumori shook his head.

"Nobody at all?" Keiko asked softly.

"What about your sister?" Yuna asked.

The others stared at him at that.

"I…she has school though. And I think she is staying late."

"But would she be able to get you?" Mizuki asked.

Kumori nodded, cautiously.

"I think, maybe…."

"Okay. We'll help you sort that out. In the meantime….well, we can work out something while we're having the emergency meeting. In the meantime, perhaps you could stay here."

"Um, yes, thanks for asking?" Azuki snarked.

"Oh, I don't want to be an imposition…"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Azuki ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't mean it like that, okay? You can stay here!"

"Yes, you don't need to worry about anything." Keiko said.

"Right, well, if that is sorted, we should get on with preparations." Sosuke said.

Mizuki frowned at that, but then nodded, turning to Kumori with a look full of compassion.

"Yes. So, we'll see you at break time, in the graveyard. Alright?"

Kumori just nodded at that. Mizuki and Sosuke left immediately, and Keiko and Yuna followed, the former patting his knee consolingly. Azuki, of course, stayed behind.

At first, they didn't talk. Kumori finished his chocolate bar, and went to put the wrapper in the bin, before going back to take a sip of melon soda-which he didn't like as it turned out. Putting the lid back on, he quietly left the bottle beside him. A few moments passed in which he sat there, and Azuki did things on his laptop before abruptly, Azuki stood up and looked in a desk drawer.

"Look yeah, I don't really know how to do things like this, but, you know, I feel for you." He said. "I know it's like a cliché to say you can't imagine and all that, but I really can't. With that being said…"

Azuki suddenly marched over and held out a small tablet device. It was turned on, and apparently on a webpage that shared cat videos. Kumori stared at the rows and rows of thumbnails.

"I figure that at the least, you're sad. And cats are good for sad. So I reckon you need cats."

Kumori began to reach for the tablet, and tried to say something, anything. Azuki looked vaguely annoyed, and indeed made the occasional huff. But all the same, he waited. And his words, the caring intention behind them-Kumori knew they were genuine. So he tried to simply accept the gesture gratefully, to take the tablet and lose himself in mindless videos of fluffy animals.

But instead, he buried his face in his hands, and sobbed.

 **…**

When Mizuki arrived, Mokomichi was already there. She wasn't sure whether this surprised her or not.

"Ah. Hi."

"Hello."

Mizuki briefly wondered if she should sit down, like Mokomichi was, but then thought that perhaps remaining standing would make it easier for her to see everyone coming. So she walked over to where Mokomichi was, and remained standing. She sensed him looking up at her for a moment, before a movement indicated that he was standing up too.

"So, this…" he said when she looked over at him, gesturing expansively. "You know. What's your thinking on it?"

"My thinking? " Mizuki inquired, quizzically.

"Mhm." He said. "It's not really something that you would expect to happen right before a party."

"I don't think anyone expected it to happen at all." Mizuki said.

"True. I didn't imagine that it'd be one of you who would do it, though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mizuki asked, instantly sensing _something_ behind Mokomichi's words.

Mokomichi blinked, and shrugged. But he did not fully meet her eyes.

"Oh, you know. The way the system is set up…isn't it the Reserve Course that should be driven to that sort of extent?"

"…I know the Main Course has things better, but that doesn't mean everything is perfect for them. " Mizuki said, stiffly.

Mokomichi didn't say anything to that, and for some reason, this angered her more than anything he could have said in response. She turned to face him fully, and glared, stepping right up to him so that he was forced to look at her.

"In any case, _that doesn't matter_. No matter who you are or how apparently 'privileged' you are, if you've committed suicide, clearly something's happened to make you that unhappy that you can't see a better way out than that. Main Course, Reserve Course, none of that has anything to do with anything!"

"You're upset by this." Mokomichi observed, almost droll.

 _Of course I'm upset!_ Mizuki could not understand how this boy, this friend of hers who had just earlier this morning asked if she had coped with her parents' death anniversary-who had _cared_ enough to remember that it had happened-could stand like this and be so…detached from this.

"Of course I am! Aren't you? Don't you even _care_?"

A moment. A long, long moment. Then Mokomichi sighed, and his head lowered slightly, enough that his forehead touched hers. Mizuki startled, but didn't step back or move away. Instead, she waited, watching as Mokomichi appeared to be collecting his thoughts.

"I do care." He said, softly. "In that abstract way that you do, when you hear about something sad on the news. I care that someone I know is directly affected by it-more than one person, really. "

"But yet you still think it shouldn't matter, because she was Main Course." Mizuki retorted, though without her really meaning it to, her own voice had softened.

"That wasn't what I meant." Mokomichi sounded baffled.

"It sounded like it."

"No…I…" Mokomichi closed his eyes and sighed, before opening them again. "No, that isn't what I meant. I just…I don't really know…."

Mizuki waited, but there was a silence. Eventually, Mokomichi shrugged, and straightened up again. Sensing the ending of a moment, Mizuki took a discreet step back.

"Well," Mokomichi eventually concluded. "I guess that sums it up really."

Mizuki nodded, cautiously.

"But you know, don't you? That you shouldn't have said it like that."

"Yeah. I'm…I'm sorry."

All the fight had gone out of her from the moment they had touched, but now she found herself completely lost for any words at all. So she simply nodded.

And standing together in silence, they waited for the others to arrive.

 **…**

When Minah arrived, just after Kumori had come with Azuki, Yuna and Keiko, she had a bunch of flowers with her, beautiful white funeral blooms, which she had promptly handed over to Kumori with a quiet whisper of condolences. The gesture had been enough to make Kumori cry, his shoulders heaving uncontrollably as he sobbed into the flowers. Mizuki wished she knew what to say, but knew that sometimes, it was better not to. So she just waited patiently as the others arrived, and found places to sit in the graveyard, and she sat down too and waited.

Eventually, though, Kumori managed to catch a breath, and compose himself. Looking up, he wiped his eyes, which were very red.

"I do apologise."

"No, no," Mizuki shook her head. "I'm sure you've heard this many times, but there is nothing to apologise for. How are you managing at the moment? Have you managed to contact your sister to take you home?"

"She'll be able to arrive here after five pm…" Kumori looked to Yuna, Azuki and Keiko.

"One of us'll walk him down, and we decided that we would take it in turns to sit with him so he won't be alone during the party while waiting." Keiko supplied.

"In shifts, mind you. I have to be down there for some of it, because I need footage for the video I have to make about it." Azuki cut in.

"H-he's staying in Sawada-kun's room." Yuna piped up. "It wouldn't really be appropriate for him to be in one of our rooms."

At this, she gestured to herself and Keiko.

"That's not really the point though, is it?" Mihoko remarked.

"It's true though!"

Mizuki noticed that Yuna's comment had earned a small smile from Kumori, so even though she agreed with Mihoko, for Kumori's sake, she decided to let it go.

"Alright, well that answers the issue of what you are all doing at the party. The question is, for the rest of us-how do you feel about attending?"

"Why would we not be? Him, I can certainly understand, but the rest of us should." Sosuke put in. "Hope's Peak has gone to all this trouble, after all."

"Well, I personally will be turning up and making the most of it!" Emiko declared. "Though not for those reasons."

"I cannot say I am the partying type, and it does feel a little uncomfortable to just be having fun after such a tragedy," Minah sighed. "But I will be going. Is that alright with you?"

She directed this last question at Kumori, and everyone looked over expectantly. Kumori looked down at the flowers, and then sighed.

"No, I don't mind, really. "

A little more back and forth quickly established similar answers from the rest of the group. Mizuki nodded.

"Well, needless to say, we should be on the lookout for any issues with harassment at the like. I know people will be putting on their 'good faces' on, but at the same time, the party context is a different one, so some people may feel it is easier to get away with things." Mizuki said.

"Yes, yes, of course." Emiko said, airily. "But we can have fun in the process, right?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can!" Shino said, winking.

"What about afterwards?" Keiko asked.

Everyone turned to stare at the larger girl, who blushed.

"What do you mean?" Sho asked quizzically.

"Well, Izumi-chan, she was really unhappy here, wasn't she? That's why she killed herself, from what I understand. And…"

Keiko trailed off, but Mizuki nodded and quickly filled in.

"We haven't really been thinking about the Main Course side of things." Mizuki said. "Yes, all in all, we are the more privileged ones. But that doesn't mean things are perfect-like Izumi-san, who seemed to be feeling trapped by her talent."

"Izumi-san was no such thing." Sosuke interrupted.

This earned a snort from Shino, and Kumori looked up, spearing Sosuke with an expression that Mizuki couldn't read. She wondered if Sosuke could, but that appeared to be a moot point since he hadn't appeared to notice Kumori's reaction.

"I think she was." Mihoko disagreed quietly.

Sosuke looked over at Mihoko and tilted his head slightly.

"With all due respect, you met her once, and at a time when she was behaving most unusually." Sosuke said. "Whereas I have worked with her for a long time on the Student Council. She was always a most diligent person."

"Being diligent and hating your Talent are two different things." Mihoko said.

Sosuke heaved a sigh, and when he responded, it was in the manner one might explain something to someone who was slow.

"Indeed they are, and as I said, you have only met her once, Sakurai-san-"

"Or, you know, you could ask the person who knew her better than you." Mokomichi interrupted.

Both Sosuke and Mihoko stared at Mokomichi, before light dawned in the latter's eyes.

"Fair." She said. "So then, could you shed some light?"

"Only if you feel able to." Mizuki was quick to say.

Kumori nodded.

"Riko-kun was diligent, and hard-working, and many things…but she did not like her Talent. She struggled with the expectations and….well. I could have stopped her, if I had realised just how badly she was, but even though I knew it well, I did noth-"

"Shh, shh, it's okay."

Keiko was quick to put her arms around Kumori, whispering soothing things in the way a mother might do with her child, as once again he started to weep. Everyone stared at them for a moment, and Mizuki felt her heart ache.

"Well, that shows you, doesn't it?" Sho remarked to Sosuke.

"Mhm, exactly." Emiko said. "I know you like to think you know it all but you really don't. Perhaps you'll think next time before you say something."

"You said it!" Shino gloated.

"With all due respect, that is a little hypocritical coming from you." Sosuke said. "All you've been doing is talking about how much fun you will have at the party."

"Excuse me? What would you know?"

"Alright, alright, I think we are derailing somewhat." Mizuki said hurriedly, even though a part of her agreed with Sosuke. She gave a sideways glance to Emiko, who was pouting impressively, and then sighed. _Perhaps she simply has a clumsy way of wording things,_ she mused, thinking of Mokomichi, who had been thoughtful and calm so far.

"Yes, yes, let's not argue, not when we all need to stick together." Kaneda said cheerily.

Mizuki nodded in acknowledgment of Kaneda's effort, then took a breath to collect herself.

"Obviously, some of you will be perfectly content with your Talent and how you are treated because of it, but we do need to consider those who aren't."

"And we run the risk of only being defined by our Talents." Minah pointed out. "Which obviously isn't accurate. We're more than just…"

Minah gestured, apparently not having the words for what she wanted to say.

"Robots?" Mihoko suggested.

"Something like that." Minah acknowledged. "But, how are we going to do that?"

"Well, perhaps like our general approach to intervening if we see bullying?" Keiko spoke up, though most of her attention was still on Kumori. "Trying to recognise when perhaps someone is feeling under pressure and giving them a chance to unburden in some way. Whether that's making them take a break, or standing up to someone who might be pressuring them."

"Though," Shino muttered pointedly. "I suspect there're some people here who wouldn't know unfair pressure if it bit them on the nose."

 _I…will just choose to ignore that. For now._ She could not deal with another Sosuke/whoever spat right now.

"Also trying not to link every little thing they do or say to their Talent." Yuna spoke up, as if she had just realised something.

Mizuki nodded.

"Yes. One of my general projects is to increase funding for mental health support in schools, so I can extend that to Hope's Peak, perhaps looking into setting up a specialised service that caters to the…particular challenges of being at this school. Yamashita-kun, Otsuki-san, that's something we can specifically work on in our TEP as well."

Hana and Mokomichi nodded, the former rather cautiously.

"That's kinda something I cover as Fumiyo, so I could pitch in if you need." Azuki offered, hesitantly.

"Yes, yes, that would be good." Mizuki said, after a moment to recover.

"What else is there though?" Yuna asked.

"I…"

"Well, I'm not an SHSL Guitarist, but that doesn't stop me from occasionally pulling out my trusty guitar out to serenade the guys and gals that pass me by. Oh, and the non-binary pals, too!"

All eyes turned to Sho, who simply grinned.

"Uh….I'm sorry, what?" Azuki asked.

"Yes, that doesn't seem releva-" Mizuki broke off abruptly as she thought about this. "Actually…yes. That works."

"Oh hey, I'm a genius!" Sho declared, pleased.

This, naturally, caused Emiko and Shino to tease him for a moment. Mizuki watched them, and gave them a moment before clearing her throat to regain attention.

"Well, I think for now, we've raised the issue, and we've sorted out the most urgent issues. I'll check back in with you all after the party."

"Huh?" Sho blinked. "Does that mean we're dismissed?"

"Yes," Mizuki sighed. "It does."

One by one, they gradually left, but Mizuki waited behind. When Mokomichi gave her a questioning look, she simply shook her head at him, wanting him to go, even though she knew he would probably understand. Once they had all gone though, she began to walk around the graveyard.

" _One last thing, Principal Hinata?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _She is getting one, isn't she? A stone?"_

" _A-oh. Yes, of course she will be."_

Mizuki stopped, and looked around her. There was not much space in the graveyard, and soon, there would be even less. If they were actually able to do something, then the space wouldn't get any smaller.

 _But that means, we actually have to do things._ And they were-or at least, they were beginning to. _But would it be enough?_

"It has to be enough." She said aloud, answering her own question.

Mizuki ran a hand through her hair, let out a breath, and looked around once more. And then, she, too, walked away.

 **…**

As Emiko carefully painted lipstick over her lips, she found herself wondering what Riko would have been wearing, had she not killed herself. From the sounds of it, she had no interest anyway. But if things had gone a little differently for her, would she have sat at her own dressing table, putting on a face for the world? Would she be determined to dazzle as brightly as possible to show the world that no matter what it threw at her, her shine would never dull?

 _Or would she always have killed herself?_

If they were going by ring theory, or even just Sosuke's general pomposity, then she was amongst those who had the least right to be upset. She had never heard of Riko Izumi, let alone met her, until the girl had chosen to commit suicide, sending shockwaves across the school (albeit ones that didn't reverberate evenly across the whole school). She couldn't presume to know anything about what this girl was like, what she thought or felt, _anything_.

 _Yet…_ Putting down the lipstick, Emiko fluttered her eyelashes at the mirror, and got up and confidently strode over to help Hana with her necklace, grinning at Shino's reflection when they took the opportunity to go over and check on their own make-up. _We probably had a lot in common, didn't we?_ Alright, so Riko's shackles were of the Talent variety instead, but even so…

 _But even so, I am sure I understand. And that is why I will attend this party, and dazzle as brightly as possible. Not just for me, and all that I need to prove. But for this random stranger._

 _So you see,_ she said to herself (or not really to herself, but the words were just in her head, so they may as well have just been to herself). _I do care. I do care. And this is how I am showing it._

Finally, with a few more adjustments and flourishes, they were all ready. Emiko smiled at them, her Reserve Course Feminine Division. Her _friends_.

"Alright then," she proclaimed. "Let's go!"

* * *

 **If you want to know about the ring theory Emiko mentions, google 'ring theory grief' or 'circle of grief'. But anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	30. Party Time, part 1

"You really do have a bias towards purple, don't you?"

Azuki turned and regarded Kumori, who had, thus far, seemed content to sit awkwardly at the edge of his bed and watch cat videos, as well as nod along to Azuki rambling in annoyance as he got ready to become Fumiyo and go film the party. It was, obviously, not enough to do, but it was not as if he knew what to do with a grieving person.

 _So, why did I agree to this in the first place?_

"Purple is a good colour." Kumori said after what felt like forever.

Azuki sighed as he weighed up the jackets again, and then eventually he put away the blue one.

"Alright, I'll go for the purple! Happy now?"

Kumori nodded, without betraying any other feeling apart from the deep sorrow that had settled in his eyes and hadn't left after they'd all left the graveyard. Azuki sighed _-well, what else can I do?-_ and continued getting ready in silence. Once he'd gathered up his hand-held camera (one that would automatically back up his recordings online, rather than with a USB),made sure the secret camera he'd attached to the brooch on his jacket lapel was in place, and checked his hair just one more time, he was satisfied.

"What do you think?" he asked Kumori.

Kumori looked up, expression unchanging. After a long moment, he nodded.

"You look good. Enjoy the party."

"Pshhhh." Azuki snorted. _Enjoy the party? Hah!_ But he knew Kumori meant well, so he nodded in thanks, and then checked the time.

"Now, where is-"

Almost on cue, there was a knock on the door.

Azuki practically leapt up to open it. Yuna stood on the other side, looking surprisingly resplendent in a shimmery violet dress. _Oh my god, what it is it with purple today?_ He sincerely hoped that he wouldn't go down to discover almost all the guests in purple.

"What's it like down there?" he asked by way of greeting.

"Most people seem to be having fun. There hasn't been too much…debauched behaviour, considering." Yuna declared. "The food is very good, from the few snacks I sampled. Nobody has talked about…you know."

"Right."

Somehow, he didn't think that anyone would have talked about Riko in the party. Not when they were too busy having fun. As for 'debauched behaviour'…well, it would probably come sooner or later. Probably nothing more serious than the usual antics that happened in teenage parties, or particularly prominent social gatherings. _But anything more, I will capture, all under the guise of getting a new video._

" _You are not concerned under the circumstances?" Sosuke asked calmly._

Azuki shuddered, but noticing Yuna's concerned gaze, shook it off with a smile.

"Yes, well, it is decidedly un-debauched up here, so, well…yeah. I'd better get down there!"

Azuki hoped he hadn't sounded too eager, but Yuna simply nodded soberly, and stepped in. Her diamond jewellery caught the light, and from the corner of his eye, Azuki noticed Kumori sit up a little straighter, pay attention. Yuna bustled over to him, and sat on the bed, smoothing down her pretty skirts and making sure the distance between them was something that she considered appropriate. Internally shaking his head at the spectacle, Azuki quickly took the opportunity to slip out, closing the door behind him. And as soon as he did, he let out a sigh of relief.

And almost immediately after doing that, he felt a stab of guilt.

"Oh, pull yourself together, Azuki!" he muttered, before turning on his hand-held camera, taking a couple of deep breaths and lifting it up, hitting record and instantly falling back into the usual pattern of being Fumiyo Doux.

"Hey-lo there! Your favourite blogger Fumi-kun is here! And guess where 'here' is? Yes, that's right, I'm setting off to go to the biggest party of the year…."

As Azuki continued to ramble on in a similar manner, walking down the corridor, he found himself looking over his shoulder at the room he had just left behind. He noticed that the door was ajar, though he was sure he had closed it, and almost instinctively he knew that this had been Yuna's work. For the sake of appropriateness, or something. _Goodness gracious me. But still, he'll be alright with her, won't he? Better than with me…_

Forcibly, Azuki pushed those thoughts away from his mind and continued his spiel.

It was, after all, what he knew best.

 **…**

When he got to the party, music was playing really loudly, though rather than being from the DJ, it was a live performance from an idol group, the lead singer having been a former SHSL a long time ago. A lot of guests were watching them, rapt, some dancing along, but plenty were milling about elsewhere, chatting and having fun.

(Also, thankfully, though there were some wearing purple outfits of various kind, it didn't seem to be a theme.)

As Azuki filmed them quietly, a group of girls close to the edges of the watching crowd instantly noticed Azuki's arrival and rushed over.

"FUMIYO-KUN!"

"OMG, It's really you!"

"Are you, like, gonna make a video about this party?"

"Well, huns, of course I am! Wouldn't miss it for the world!" he said in his best Fumiyo-style flirting voice. "Is that Sayaka Maizono up on stage?"

The girls-Main Course, some from the first year and one or two from a third year class-happily obliged him with an eager explanation of all the other star-studded, mostly former SHSL guests who were at the party, particularly those slated to perform. He filmed the concert, and interviewed the girls a little, all the while looking around him for…what, exactly?

 _Great, I really have gone mad, actually looking out for things that might happen so I can help our cause along!_ Azuki thought in annoyance. _That girl, honestly._ If it wasn't for Mizuki, what would have he done now? Probably filmed a little, gone to hide out in his room when he'd had enough, come back out to get a glimpse of the fireworks, and then gone back to hide again. Certainly none of…none of this complicatedness.

 _Obviously though, I am still doing it._

Azuki sighed, and eventually extracted himself from the girls to go around, filming everything. He noticed the class couple of 99-A already dancing as if the party had reached the slow-dancing portion, Emlyn seeming particularly flamboyant, and made a point of filming them. He filmed some of his classmates chatting, and interviewed a couple, before some of the guests noticed him and approached him. In between this, noticing that there was alcohol being served at the drinks table, he made a point of filming that-casually-knowing full well what could happen there.

He also noticed that there were a fair few kids running around, some of them school-aged. _Why aren't they in school?_ Azuki wondered, before noticing that two little girls seemed to look a lot like Principal Hinata-something about their dark hair and the shape of their faces, and that explained it all. _Oh, well._ Hearing someone call out his name-well, not his name, but Fumiyo's, he turned-and felt someone whack into his legs, and promptly burst out into tears.

"Oh, cr-" Azuki swallowed the swear, and quickly bent down to the little boy's height. "Hey, little guy, didn't mean to bump into you! You okay?"

"Oh, Kou-kun!"

Azuki looked up to see Keiko, with most of the kids trailing her, rushing towards the little boy, scooping him up, apparently having no trouble carrying both this boy and the other little girl-who seemed a little younger-at the same time. The boy sniffled, and snuggled into Keiko's chest, before looking at Azuki, and pointing.

"Pretty." The boy pronounced.

"Oh, me? Why thank you!" Azuki gushed. "You look very smart yourself-what's your name kid?"

"Kou!"

Now the boy smiled happily.

"He's the son of Asahina-sensei, one of the P.E. teachers."

"I know who Asahina-sensei is." Azuki grumbled. "What about the others?"

Azuki shut his camera to pause the recording, and turned his attention fully to the kids as Keiko introduced them-a couple more children of teachers, and some guests' kids too. The Hinata twins were amongst the small huddle, and Azuki learnt that their names were Eri and Rie, and that they were eight years old, almost nine. He complemented their clothes and hair and entertained them with silly voices for a while, and eventually they found themselves moving off to the side, half-watching the kids as they talked to each other. The toddlers clamoured to be let down, and Keiko obliged, calling out reminders to be careful as they joined the bigger kids.

"You're good with young children. Do you have siblings or anything?"

"No, no" Azuki shook it off. "I just think kids are okay, y'know? Besides, you're the one who seems to be babysitting them-you're clearly the expert here."

To his surprise, the older girl's smile seemed a little strained at this, though the voice of her reply betrayed nothing.

"Well, I'm the eldest sibling, so I have always been responsible for them, and I took care of my little cousins a fair bit before coming here. I still do, whenever I go home."

"How many siblings?"

"Three. Though, they aren't so little-17, 14 and 10 now. My cousins are only 2 and 4 though."

"Holy wow." Azuki eyed Keiko. "That's pretty impressive considering-how on earth did you manage to do like, any of the launderer thing?"

Again, that sense of strain. But there was surprise in her eyes, and once again, Azuki was taken aback. This was not the reaction he'd expected, not from someone as calming as Keiko seemed.

"Well, young children are messy, you know? That generates a lot of laundry. So I suppose you could say it slotted well into my life."

"Yes, but, like, you made the actual whatcha call it, formulas for the stuff, right?"

Azuki was fairly sure of this. He kept a bottle of the Usui On-The-Go stain remover with him on most excursions-the stuff was pretty useful when you needed to be on camera and there'd been a mishap with soy sauce or something. _So…why isn't this quite sitting right?_

"I did, yes, but well…" Keiko broke eye contact, pointedly staring at the kids for a moment before murmuring. "It's not usually what most people think of when it comes to laundry. And in the end , you can make all the concoctions you want but most people just want to know if the clothes can actually be washed. And I definitely know how to wash clothes. So…"

Keiko laughed, but to Azuki's ears, it sounded hollow. And though he was the last person to know anything about the finer points of laundry, he started to put things together. Things like what Mizuki had said, about being defined by Talents, and how that could be just as harmful as being defined by a lack of it. Azuki was sure that could be stretched to being defined by an interpretation of a Talent, too.

"It's hardly rocket science to bung clothes in a washing machine and follow the instructions of whatever thing you're using with it. Making the actual washing powders and what-have-you to bung into the machine, and to specifically tailor it for different situations. That's…well, it's not like I'd know, but that's basically science, right?" Azuki said, deliberately holding in the swears he might have peppered his vehement statement with.

"It certainly is." Keiko admitted.

"So, why are you downplaying it?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm not, really." Keiko said. "It is just, it is the third year, and part of my Talent Development includes overseeing the laundry over here, there's less time to go into the lab…so it does become more about the actual washing. But it is fine, really. "

"I somehow don't think so."

Keiko shook her head. She had a smile on her face, but it seemed fixed now. _Jesus, she's as stubborn as the rest of them, isn't she?_ Azuki realised, though really it was Mizuki he thought of when making the comparison. Still, he liked her, and he knew none of this was fair.

" _You are not concerned under the circumstances?" Sosuke asked calmly._

Of course he was bloody concerned. He knew that somehow, whatever ended up happening, whether their plans worked or whether they went completely off course, there would be more to be concerned about. But as he had made a point of making clear to Sosuke and to everyone else, he actually cared about doing the right thing. He wanted to help others, in whatever way he knew best.

And the way he knew best was being Fumiyo Doux, for better or for worse.

"Well, the kiddos, they'll probably not be staying the whole time, right?"

"I don't think so." Keiko said after a moment of consideration. "I think maybe Eri-chan and Rie-chan, but apart from that, all their parents have plans to take them home first and then come back, as far as I know."

"Right. But when you've seen them off, come find me-I want to film you."

"Me? Why?"

"Why'd you think?" Azuki snarked, rolling his eyes. "So you can feature on my video, of course."

"I…." Keiko blinked. "Is this to help? With, you know?"

"Yes."

 _And for you, too._

"Well…" Keiko sighed. "Alright then."

"Keiko-nee-chaaaan!"

All of a sudden, one of the children came rushing over, bawling their eyes out. Another child followed, looking indignant.

"He hiiit me!"

"Who did, sweetie?"

Instantly, Keiko snapped back into child-caring mode, bending down to the child's height, soothing them while carefully gathering information on the situation. Azuki watched for a moment, before he re-opened his camera, and walked off.

 **…**

After exchanging goodbyes with the person she had been talking to, Mizuki headed over to the outdoors version of the drinks table.

"What would you like?" the person standing on the other side asked her.

Mizuki was about to opt for water, but she took a look at the available drinks, and settled on one she liked.

"Could I have some pink lemonade, please?"

"Sure!"

The person poured out some of the lemonade into a cup, and handed it to Mizuki, who thanked them profusely before walking away, taking small sips and carefully surveying the situations around her. So far, nothing bad had happened. She'd heard some third-year Main Course students grumbling about there being Reserve Course students around, and she'd intervened when she'd thought a security guard had been grilling a Reserve Course couple a little too hard about where they were going. But apart from that, there had been nothing too bad occurring. _Though…_

She turned and went back to the drinks table.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes?"

"Are you making sure not to serve alcohol to any under-18s?" she asked.

The person blinked.

"Well, of course. Though, it's been hard to tell, considering you have some school-leaving age students in younger years…but yes, we are making sure."

"Alright. Thank you."

Mizuki nodded at the person, and then walked away properly this time. It hadn't occurred to her until now, simply because although she technically could drink, in a context where she was still technically a schoolgirl, it felt strange to. But even if the outside caterers were sticking closely to the law, would the actual students manning the indoors table do the same? She hoped so, considering. _But I haven't seen any overt cause for concerns, so I'll just check when I go back inside._

She wandered around, occasionally pausing to make small talk with various adult guests, and waving to students she knew. In between this, she noticed Mihoko talking quietly with Hana, Minah part of an audience watching Mawa demonstrate cheer-leading moves to some other Main Course girls, and some of the others here and there, talking to others, or dancing (or at least moving around) to the music that was being played outside, from an elaborate speaker system that fed from the DJ's set-up inside.

After saying her farewells to the guest she had currently been talking to-a well-known figure in computing with an interest in philanthropy-she checked her phone to see if anything was going on, though she didn't expect much. It was near to the time that Kumori's sister was due to come and pick him up-thankfully- and she fired off a message on the 'Shh!' chat to make sure they hadn't encountered any problems or awkward questions that would have made things so much harder for Kumori. Luckily, a positive reply came back:

 _Yunnie: Everything is fine, we're getting ready to see Kurogane-kun off now._

Mizuki nodded, considered going to help, but then decided that they would be fine, and locked her phone screen, tucking it back into her trouser pocket, and then looking up to see Iwasa with a young woman next to her.

"Hello, Iwasa-sensei." Mizuki greeted as she approached them.

"Oh! Hello, Teranaga-san!" Iwasa said, surprised but quickly recovering. "How are you? Are you enjoying the party?"

"I am, thank you. And yourself?"

"Yes, I am. I'm having a great time. I think we did a really impressive job."

"Yeah, it's been pretty cool so far." The young woman said.

"That's good." Mizuki said. "I'm Mizuki Teranaga, I'm one of Iwasa-sensei's homeroom students. The SHSL Philanthropist."

"Ah, I'm Rena Iwasa." The young woman introduced herself. "I'm not a former SHSL anything, but I did used to live here for a while….though, my memories of it are different."

"You were very little then." Iwasa told Rena.

"Yeah, I know. But it's good to come back!" Rena said. "I'm sure it must have been really weird, having a little kid around all the time, but everyone was really nice here. I remember that much."

"Yes, indeed. Hope's Peak were very welcoming." Iwasa said.

Mizuki simply nodded. The two were reminiscing now, rather than really having a conversation, but it gave Mizuki some interesting information. Both Iwasa and Rena had similar eye shapes, and strong cheekbones, and both held themselves in similar ways, though Rena clearly took a much more casual approach to dressing, even in the party context. Even though they hadn't said anything definite, it was clear that Rena was Rinka Iwasa's daughter.

"Are you staying for the fireworks?" Mizuki enquired after the reminiscence seemed to have run dry.

"Oooh, I don't know," Rena considered. "I have morning lectures tomorrow, but on the other hand, I really do want to see them."

"I think you should go, I don't want you to jeopardise your degree." Iwasa told Rena.

"Well, it's not like I make a habit of partying, Mum…."

"I know, but…"

"It's fine. I'll think about it."

Rena turned to Mizuki and shrugged. Mizuki just continued smiling.

"Well, however long you stay for, I hope you enjoy the rest of the party." She said.

"Yeah, sure, thanks!" Rena grinned.

"Same with you, Teranaga-san." Iwasa said.

Mizuki nodded, and continued onwards, making small talk, waving to others, all the while on the look-out. She eventually came across Sho, sitting on a large rock, with a bunch of students, both Main and Reserve (and somehow inevitably including Shino and Emiko) around him, rapt as he strummed nonchalantly at his guitar and some of the girls sang slightly off-key. Over the noise and chaos of the party around her, the music Sho was making wasn't audible from where she was, but all the same she stopped and listened.

" _Toro no saku hoshi no umi_

 _ni shinzou wo nageta no da_

 _Mou koe mo denai sore wa boku_

 _ja doushiyou mo nakatta no da.."_

"Yo!"

Mizuki turned to see Taki with a girl she thought she recognised. He had a waistcoat on and was miraculously not covered in sawdust, while the girl was slight and pretty with doe-eyes, looking like some sort of fairy princess in her pale blue shimmery dress. Something about her put Mizuki in mind of Hana. The same pretty frailty, probably.

"Hello there." She greeted.

"You not joining the crowd?" Taki asked, pointing to Sho. "We were just heading that way ourselves."

"No, no, I just decided to pause a moment. To listen. I might head inside for a bit soon anyway." Mizuki said.

"Right, right."

Taki looked like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how, but then the pretty girl spoke up.

"It's terribly sad, about the third year girl who died. Were you friends with her? Ichihara-sempai knew her from Student Council."

"I did, too." Mizuki said.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"Did you see it coming?" Taki blurted out. "I mean, well, not see it, because obviously you would have said something and like, I would have too, but…"

"No."

Mizuki cut off the rambling before it could get too far, before it could mirror her own thoughts. Taki and the girl blinked at her, and she realised she had been a tad too harsh. _Gosh, I'm tired._

"No, I didn't. I don't think…anyone did."

"No, of course." The girl said, hurriedly.

"I might make a bench or something." Taki blurted. "To put out here, somewhere. In her name. Do you think she'd like that?"

 _A great deal more than pretending that all was okay_ , Mizuki thought, exhaustion increasing. But she simply nodded. Taki grinned at that.

"Well, that, at least is something, right?"

Again, Mizuki could only nod. Taki was so eager, she did not quite have the heart or the fire to say that there needed to be more. _But what's wrong with a bench? It's a kind thing to do. His heart is in the right place._

 _Besides, we are the ones who are doing the big things._ Her, and Azuki and Mokomichi and Hana and all the rest of them. They were the ones who had united for this purpose. Mizuki sighed, and then noticed that the tune Sho was plucking out on his guitar had changed, something upbeat and frenetic that she did not quite recognise. Apparently, Taki noticed this, for he laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, we may as well leave you to go to wherever it is you need to go to." Taki said, before turning to the girl and grinning.

The girl blushed slightly as Taki put an easy arm around her, and Mizuki wondered- _is that his Fukuda? The one he was talking about in the graveyard._ Watching them go, it seemed obvious that there was a romance afoot. Or at the very least, the beginnings of one. It would certainly explain why Fukuda had motivated Taki so fervently (though, to be fair, Taki was always enthusiastic about life, as she'd noticed when getting to know him). Part of her wished that he had simply seen the light because it was the right thing, rather than because all of a sudden love had pushed it into his field of vision. But she knew that such feelings and connections could be a great motivator, and who was she to judge how someone came to their realisations? As long as they were willing and ready to do the right thing, that was what mattered.

Mizuki sighed, and drained the last bits of her pink lemonade. Droplets clung to the side of the cup, and seemed to sparkle. She stared at them for a moment, before she started to walk away.

 **…**

After Kumori had gone out with Azuki and Yuna, Keiko thought about heading back downstairs to the party, but instead, she paused. She reached under the neckline of her dress and fingered the key that was hanging discreetly on a chain around her neck. _Thought it'd be cool if we all had copies of the roof key,_ Sho had said one day, a couple of weeks before, _maybe we can use it as a meeting space or something?_ Keiko hadn't really known why she had accepted one of the keys herself, but now, as she impulsively turned the opposite direction, going up instead of down, she hoped that none of the others who'd gained a key had had the same idea as herself.

But luckily, once she had clambered up the stairs, and pushed herself through the small door that led out onto the roof, it was completely empty. Taking one step out, and then another, she closed her eyes for a moment, and let the cool breeze brush against her face, before looking up at the sky all around her, still light, and stretching so far. Boundless.

From what Keiko could see from here, the view of the things below the sky was equally boundless. She was sure that if she went to the edges, she would be able to see everything-all the outdoor aspects of the party, the forests bordering the school, and beyond. But she would be far too noticeable at the edge, if someone was to look up and see, so she stayed where she was for a moment, wondering what to do. And after a moment of hesitation, she walked out into the middle, and lay down.

Like this, she could see the whole sky. It seemed to stretch even further. And the clouds-though she could not actually touch them, she could pretend. It felt ever so rebellious. Almost deliciously so. Surrounded by nothing but sky and clouds and the breeze, Keiko could almost pretend that she was free.

But with that thought, she inevitably found herself thinking of Riko again.

 _How is it that I did not notice?_ She realised. _How did I not realise what she meant?_ Keiko had had an opportunity to save a life that day. Instead, she had been so caught up in her own sorrow, she had failed. She had let Riko walk away to her death, and utterly devastated Kumori as a result.

 _Yet…_

She had understood enough to know that Riko had felt trapped. That she had not wanted the life she was currently in. It was logical to assume that for her, suicide was the only way that she could get her freedom back. Keiko could understand that, even if she would never do such a thing, not with her brothers and little cousins to think about…

Keiko sighed, abruptly pushing such thoughts away. No, there was no two ways about it. She wouldn't be following that path herself. But that didn't change the fact that she understood a little too well why Riko had chosen to. But what she didn't understand was…why that was? Rumours of all sorts had run wild over the course of the day, most of them outrageous. But she had been able to glean enough to know that Riko had hung herself in her room of her home, after destroying her things (though whether deliberately or in a fit of fury, it was not clear, as tended to be the case with rumours). The last thing that Riko had seen were four walls. Four constraining walls.

 _And why, if you wanted freedom, would you want the last thing you see to be a constraint?_ Keiko held her hand up to the sky again, pretended to touch the clouds. If she had been going to do such a horrible, horrible thing, then she would have done it here. She would have made the last thing she had seen boundless, limitless, freeing sky, to give her a taste of what she would be jumping to. Yes, it would be a more horrible way to go.

But, the sky. The freedom.

 _I don't understand why you would not grab that if you could. Then again, I clearly didn't understand anything at all, did I?_ Keiko sighed, and allowed herself a tear, though she was sure that if Riko was watching from wherever she was now, she would probably have sneered at it. Still, she allowed herself this one indulgent display of sadness.

"I'm sorry, Izumi-chan." She murmured. "We'll all look after Kurogane-kun for you. And…I hope you've found what you were looking for."

After another moment of allowing herself to view the sky, she sighed, and heaved herself up. She brushed her clothes down, and then stood up. Then, she forced herself to leave the sky behind, and return to the party.

 **…**

Shino grinned as they, Emiko and Sho started to make their way back from the Reserve Course building. Naturally, it being so much smaller and deemed less important, there was not as much there. But they had managed to find evidence of teachers slacking off and spending their time doing other things (Shino had never seen so much unmarked work in their lives, for one thing), and they had made a point of taking photographs of some of the dreariest, worst parts of the building too. They'd all wanted to get into Hinata's office, but despite Shino's best lock-picking efforts, they hadn't been able to get in. Then again, they hadn't thought to bring along their hard-core tools for that purpose. Still, they'd supposed that there would not be that much there-these days, the best all of them could tell, Hinata seemed to spend more time sharing with Naegi.

So, off to the Main Course building it was.

"This is so much fun." Sho gushed. "I feel like a-"

Shino smirked as Emiko put a stop to that, putting a finger to Sho's lips.

"Shhhh. Don't give the game away now!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

They all burst out laughing, and continued walking. Shino stopped to swipe a drink of juice from the outdoors drinks table, and they walked into the building without a care in the world, as if they were going to one of the indoors areas designated for the party.

"Alright," Shino whispered as they prepared to walk past the double doors that would lead them into one of those areas. "You know what to do?"

"Yes, yes." Emiko rolled her eyes.

Still trying to remain nonchalant, they all kept to the edges of the corridor, edging around the corner before making a break for it.

"What are you doing?"

They all skidded to a halt. Shino felt someone collide into their back in the shock, and tensed, preparing for battle of sorts, when they realised that it was just Yuna.

"What are you doing?" Shino retorted.

Yuna stared at them suspiciously, clutching her red purse tightly.

"I just went to the bathroom."

"And we're just putting my guitar back!" Sho said, holding up the instrument.

 _Oh of course! That'll be the perfect excuse to get us upstairs. But after that….eh, I'll think about that later!_

"And you need three of you to do that?"

"Hey, who wants to be alone at a party?" Sho laughed. "That isn't fun at all!"

"Well," Yuna said, a little sniffily. "As long as you are not doing anything…improper."

"That's rich, coming from you!" Emiko retorted. "Haven't you just been spending time _alone with a boy_?"

Yuna stiffened, and she glared at them all.

"How dare you? I wouldn't do anything of the sort, especially not with someone who is grieving."

"Oh, really now?"

"Yes! All we did was sit and talk."

"Oho," Shino said. "Is that what they call it now?"

"How da-"

"Oh, relax, they're just messing!" Sho interrupted, quite unexpectedly. "But how is he? He get home alright?"

Yuna narrowed her eyes at Sho, but then eventually nodded. Shino pulled a face at Sho, who didn't appear to notice. _But, to be fair, we shouldn't really be faffing around when we have a mission so, eh. I can always needle Yorokobi another time._

"He's in good hands now."

"Right, right."

"Well, it was lovely chatting," Shino said, unable to resist injecting just a little _taunt_ in their voice. "But we'd better …."

Shino started to march off, and Sho and Emiko followed them.

"Wait!"

Shino turned and looked at Yuna curiously. She was still frowning at them, but now her head was tilted slightly, as if she was thinking of something .

"I am not sure what you are all doing, and frankly I don't wish to know.…but if you don't want to be seen, avoid the Wall of Fame. There are some guests taking selfies there, and more security guards as a result."

Shino stared at Yuna, and then nodded slowly.

"Gotcha. Thanks."

Yuna simply nodded, before scurrying away. Shino looked to Sho and Emiko, and felt a swell of excitement.

"You ready?"

"Oh, hell yeah!"

"Then, let's go."

* * *

 **Yep, the song that Sho was playing is on the playlist. Indeed, for the most part, from this point, if I directly reference a song's lyrics or something along those lines, it will be on the playlist, or to be put on the playlist-I think it'll be a nice touch, to make the songs an actual part of the story in a different way to the 'ED song' and 'OP song' chapters. Unless it won't be, in which case I will mention it.**

 **But anyway, I just want to quickly mention that my other SYOC, Our Ghosts Return, really, really needs submissions. I'm going to try and work on some sort of update, but I have only had 13 submissions in the rough month and a half since I've had it open so, yeah, I really do need more to choose from. So if you are interested and able to send me someone, I would be super grateful :)**

 **I'll leave it at that for moment. As always, hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	31. Party Time, part 2

"Oh, hey, what's this place?" Emiko asked.

"Oh that?" Sho responded, turning around to see what she meant. "Oh, that's the music room. I don't think we're going to find much in there."

"We haven't found much _anywhere_ , though." Emiko retorted.

"But that's cos we're starting small, right?" Sho asked hopefully.

"Well of course-there'd be no point if we went in all guns blazing right from the get-go." Shino said.

Sho nodded at that. The Reserve Course building had been a bit of a disappointment (what had he been hoping for, he wondered? He wasn't sure, but he had been imagining bigger, better, more dramatic), and neither had the various rooms they had riffled through so far. But all the same, there was a frission of excitement running through him-just the fact that he was here, looking for things to hold over people's heads to make them do what they wanted. Even if he wasn't entirely sure what it was they wanted.

Never in his life had he dreamed he'd be doing something like this. Never.

"Want to take an amble around then?" he asked. "I can give you a private performance-I'm pretty sure there are guitars stashed there somewhere."

"Uh, do you know how _wrong_ that sounded?"

"Shishikane- _chaaaaan_ , I'm shocked! I'd never mean it like that!"

"Psh, I'm messing. But, Shino, are we actually going? Really?"

Sho and Emiko both looked at Shino, who had somehow become their leader in this little escapade. Shino tilted their head, tapping their fingers against their lips in a mock-philosophical way. But eventually, much to Sho's relief, they nodded. With a grin, he pushed open the door, and led the way in.

"Oh wow, this is cavernous." Shino remarked.

" _Cavernous_? Did you swallow a thesaurus?" Sho teased.

This earned him a middle finger, which he just grinned at. Shino grinned back, and Emiko laughed at them.

"So, uh, we gonna do the Scooby-do thing?" Sho asked.

"Sure, why not?" Shino shrugged.

They each went to separate parts of the room, and they began to search. Sho poked around in cupboards, looking at incomprehensible sheet music for instruments he didn't play, messing around with some of said instruments. There were photographs of past students, presumably those with music based talents, practicing or possibly performing, and Sho leafed through these with some interest, but he didn't see anything that could be construed as being problematic-possibly because he knew none of the people. Still, he used his own phone to take his own photos of the photos, just in case. Then, he went over to the piano.

Flipping the lid, he pressed keys at random, and laughed at himself and his silliness. Then, for no other reason than _why not_ , he started to pat down the piano, first the lid, then every other part.

"What on earth are you doing?" he heard Emiko ask by the time he got to the back of the piano.

"Ah, I just-oh!"

Sho's fingers touched paper. He frowned, and felt around, feeling sellotaping apparently sticking the paper to the back of the piano. Carefully, he teased at it, until it came loose. He pulled it out, and Shino and Emiko came over as he straightened up.

It turned out to be an envelope, taped down shut, and with some bars of music written rather than an address or name.

"What on earth….?" Shino said.

"Is this the kind of thing we were looking for?" Emiko asked incredulously.

"Well, I mean, it does look a little mysterious." Sho said.

"It sure does."

"Excuse me, what are you all doing?"

The three sprang apart from each other in shock-though not before Sho hastily shoved the envelope in his pocket-and looked over to the doorway, where a burly security guard was standing. Sho gulped, thinking of the riots, but then plastered a big smile over his face.

 _I can do this. It will be fine._

"Oh, hey, are we not supposed to be here? Just, I wanted to give my TEP ladi-pals, rather, a tour!"

He put his arms around Shino and Emiko in an easy gesture, continuing to smile. He felt Emiko flinch slightly, but pretended not to notice.

"Well," the guard blinked. "No, you are not really supposed to be here at all."

"Awww," Shino said in a cute-girl voice, pouting impressively to go with it. "But Nakajima-sempai said…"

"Well, if it had been you girls on your own, I would have had serious words, but I'm sure your…what's your name, boy?"

"Sho Nakajima, SHSL Pilot."

"Yes, well, I'm sure your Nakajima-sempai would have kept you in check. But our rules are rules. We need to keep the school secure and safe during this party, and that means no wandering around the school except to toilets and dorms for those Main Courser's who are in dorms."

"Awwww." Shino and Emiko said in unison.

"Sorry, guys." Sho said.

"It's okay…." Shino said, still with the cute-girl voice. _Damn, they can act! They didn't even bristle at being misgendered!_

"Right, well, no harm done, but I am going to have to escort you down, Nakajima-kun, because of the girls, you understand."

"Oh yeah, sure, sure! Hey, at least we can dance the night away, right?"

"I guess…" Shino said.

"Yeah!" Emiko chimed in.

They kept up the mindless patter until the security guard had left them in amongst the crowds of people. Shino stared after the guard, and then pulled a face.

"UGHHHHHH. What a fail! And I'm not a girl, dammit!"

"Are we going to go back?"

Shino pulled another face of annoyance, but then shook their head.

"At this point, not worth it. Besides…."

They pointed to Sho, who grinned and patted his pocket, before continuing.

"I think we managed to find something anyway. But for now, we may as well enjoy ourselves!"

 **…**

Noticing Mihoko on her own, Sosuke decided to do the polite thing, and go and talk to her. She was his TEP after all, it would hardly be polite to neglect her.

"Sakurai-san."

"Oh!" Mihoko startled, and then narrowed her eyes at Sosuke. "Hello."

"How come you are on your own?" he asked.

"I'm not, technically. I just didn't feel like dancing for this song, and Otsuki's gone to the bathroom." Mihoko explained, matter-of-fact. "Why….did you come to check up on me?"

"Not exactly."

"Well then."

Sosuke looked at Mihoko, and Mihoko looked at Sosuke. He did his best to not twitch, but eventually, he decided that it would be fine to leave. However, it was just at that precise moment that Mihoko decided to speak up.

"I'm not sure if you noticed, but they're serving alcohol to students. Specifically, the Main Course students."

"If they are 18, it is not illegal-" Sosuke began, somewhat nonplussed, but Mihoko interrupted him sharply.

"Yes, yes, I am aware of the school-leaver age restriction on alcohol. I mean that they're serving alcohol to the very youngest of the Main Course students, but refusing the 18 year old Reserve Coursers."

"Are you absolutely sure? I know some drinks can look similar to each other…"

"I am sure." Mihoko said briskly. "I even heard them talking about it-they're doing it on purpose."

Mihoko gave him a meaningful look, and he found himself speechless for a moment.

"You cannot surely think that this is an example of ….elitism?" he asked. "It is probably just a harmless mistake that you are blowing out of proportion. The Student Council specifically picked out responsible people to be at the stands on rota throughout the night."

"Firstly, I heard them saying that they were deliberately doing that-which I just told you. Secondly, don't you know that when you excuse smaller things, it makes way for much larger, more serious things to be excused?"

Sosuke opened his mouth, and then shut it again. _This is going to be difficult, isn't it?_

"You are a sharp girl, Sakurai-san, but there is a lot you do not understand. I will go and talk to the-actually, you should come with me to. Then you will be able to see for yourself that it is less of a situation than you thought it was."

Mihoko's raised eyebrow made Sosuke feel twitchy again, but thankfully, she nodded. _Hopefully she will see sense after this._ Her sense of social justice was admirable, and it seemed clear that she did care about the school in some way or another-much like Mizuki did. But not everything was as horrible or as dramatic as it was made out to be. It was a disadvantage of the group that this was not clear. But of course, the advantages much outweighed that disadvantage.

The two of them wove through the guests to go to the drinks stall. At this moment, nobody was lining up to get a drink, so they didn't need to navigate queues either.

"Oh, hey there, Class Rep!" the boy manning the stall. "And…."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously at Mihoko, who narrowed her eyes back. Hastily, Sosuke made the introductions, and the boy nodded once, before turning fully to Sosuke.

"You want anything?"

"Not at the moment, thank you. But I just wanted to double-check something about the alcohol-you are aware of the laws regarding serving?"

"Yeah, yeah, y'all talked about it already, no under-18s right."

"And that does count for Main Course students too-I am sure you know this already, but I know it can be easy to forget, considering that Talented individuals often surpass typical adolescent expectations."

The boy went slightly red.

"Yeah, well, that's a pretty fancy way of putting it but I guess…not like, the absolute young-ones in the 100 classes, but I suppose I've been cool with looking the other way…not with the Reserve Course though, there's no way!"

"Right, well, that is the thing. We do need to be seen to be being fair, considering we are in the public eye-"

"Oh, what, has a Reserve Course student made a complaint now?" the boy asked belligerently, glaring at Mihoko.

"Does that matter?" Mihoko shot back.

"Sakurai-san, he wasn't accusing you." Sosuke said as soothingly as he could manage. "And to answer your question, not as such, but I did hear some whispers and I thought it was best to make sure, so that there weren't official complaints."

 _It is probably best that I do not tell him that Sakurai-san was the one, I cannot see how it would help the situation any. And perhaps it will convince her that I am_ trying _to be reasonable._

"Oh, maaaan." The boy rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, well, okay, I'll clamp down. Can I blame you guys though?"

"Yes, yes." Sosuke said airily, pleased that it had been solved so quickly. "That is fine."

"Well, fine. Want a drink then, Class Rep?"

His birthday had just been last week, and he would technically have been old enough to drink some form of alcohol. But he opted for a sparkling orange juice, and ordered one for Mihoko too. Once their drinks were in their hands, they began to walk away, but suddenly, Mihoko turned.

"You know, your attitudes aren't always going to help you. One day, that elitism will backfire."

And with that, she turned and continued walking. Sosuke quickly caught up with her.

"What was that for?" he asked her.

Mihoko stared at him.

"Exactly what it sounded like. It could apply to you, too."

"I…." Sosuke rubbed his head. "Sakurai-san, were you paying attention at all?"

"Oh, I was."

Somehow, it sounded ominous, just as ominous as her parting words at the drinking stall. _Who knew that a TEP would be quite so challenging?_ He had not been expecting Mihoko to be quite so sharp, so willing to question. But they were good qualities, too, and at least she wasn't spiky and combative in the same way that Riko had been. And at least she wasn't as fiery as Mizuki was-even if the redhead was an advantageous person to know. _But even so…._

"Have you ever thought of going into law yourself?" he asked. "I feel you would be suited for it."

Mihoko simply shrugged at this when suddenly, she looked over across the room.

"Otsuki's joined the others, I'm going to go there too. See you later."

"Right, yes. See you later." He said, barely able to form the words before Mihoko had gone.

He sighed, and rubbed his head. _Honestly, that girl…_ Remembering he had a drink, he went to a side, and started to sip at it. Time went by as he half-watched the partygoers and half mentally reviewed the various things that he would need to do the next day, when Nomura approached him.

"How are things going?" Nomura asked.

"Fairly well, considering."

The two of them chatted briefly about the party and any incidents that had cropped up-Sosuke mentioned the alcohol, but kept Mihoko out if it. Eventually though, their conversation circled back to Riko.

"I'm glad that Izumi-san's death hasn't put a dampener on the celebrations." Nomura remarked. "I would have waited until after the party to announce it, if it had been completely up to me. But then that would have been disrespectful to her memory."

"Yes, it would have been." Sosuke said. "Besides, she would have wanted it to go on."

Nomura gave him a look at that, but slowly nodded.

"Yes, yes. But still, I suppose this wasn't the biggest problem she's left behind."

"Ah, yes." Sosuke instantly knew what Nomura was getting at. "We will need to fill that spot soon. Have you decided what to do about that?"

"Well, I have some ideas, but I will be putting them forward in the meeting tomorrow. But, between you and me for now-would you consider being in the spot?"

 _Would I consider-_ It was almost a silly question. Being an official Deputy President was a big step up from being an unofficial deputy of a deputy. It would be a lot of responsibility on top of his Class representative duties too, but…

"I would certainly consider it." Sosuke responded carefully.

"Good, good."

They talked a little more about school issues, and then Nomura went to talk to some second year girls. Sosuke sighed, and drained the rest of his drink, before going to circulate again.

 **…**

Yuna watched the dancers, half-wishing she was dancing, too. Slow-dancing, to her, was one of the most romantic things. Even if you weren't in love with the person you were dancing with, the act could be the beginning of the love story. Or, really, of any story about becoming closer, in any way. For Yuna knew that romance was not the only worthy connection in the world, even if it was her speciality. Still, it was the clearly romantic couples that her gaze snagged upon as she watched the dancers-Shuuhei and Emlyn, Taki and the Reserve Course girl, the two Reserve Course girls, more besides that. She watched them, with admiration, and just a little longing. She wished to dance too, each twirl or step increasing that wish to a full one rather than half.

 _But really, there is only one person I wish to dance with._

She could not quite wrap her mind around the fact that Riko had committed suicide, one of the worst things one could possibly do. How had she been able to do so, knowing what she left behind? Yuna thought of Kumori, who had sobbed in Hoshiko's arms once she'd come to collect him. Alright, so it wasn't love in the romantic sense, but still, from the little she had seen, she knew that Kumori had treasured Riko so very dearly. And only for-

" _Take care of him, won't you?"_

 _No,_ Yuna gasped. _No, it couldn't be._ Had she really been planning this, even that long ago? _The selfishness of it…_ Yuna had to admit she wasn't sure if she had ever liked Riko, if purely because of residual jealousy. But she could not bear to think that someone Kumori had cared for could have been so cruel…

… _No, oh no. Please, I hope it wasn't the case._

Desperately, Yuna's mind cast about for something else to think about, and her gaze eventually landed on Sho and Shino, slows dancing but clearly not-romantic. Indeed, they seemed to be taking it as a frivolity, laughing and messing about. She narrowed her eyes at them, wondering both where Emiko was, and what they had actually been up to. It had been clear to her they were up to a great deal more than simply putting Sho's guitar away. _But what?_

 _Nothing, good, probably. But why, then, did I not try to stop them?_

Beyond the clandestine meetings that they had been having in their little group of 14, she had nothing in common with them. She did not even _like_ them, especially not Shino, who seemed to delight in taunting others. And yet, she had kept her silence, and had even _helped_ them in a way.

And she didn't know why.

 _But, now I am thinking about it, there is so much I do not know. So much I can't understand._ This group that she had somehow ended up in (no matter how she cast her mind back, she didn't know how) had ideals and values and plans that were well beyond anything she knew or understood. They occupied a space in the world that had little to do with romance or love or sexuality-all things she was well versed in. It was not her world. And yet…

"Hey, hey, Yorokobi-kouhai, how come you aren't dancing?"

Yuna shrieked as Kaneda appeared out of nowhere. Surprisingly, he looked smart and neat in his black tuxedo. And more (she was pleased to note) than a little shame-faced at startling her.

"My goodness, I didn't mean to scare you!" he apologised profusely. "But how come you are not dancing? I'd've thought that this was right up your street, refined as you are."

Yuna preened a little at being called 'refined', before narrowing her eyes at him. Was this some kind of flirtation? With most boys, it would be. But Kaneda was…strange. Something else that she didn't understand.

"I do not have a dance partner." She said, cautiously.

"Don't have a dance partner?" Kaneda echoed exaggeratedly. "We must fix that! Come, come, I believe a new song will be starting."

Yuna considered, staring at Kaneda's outstretched hand. Kaneda was not Kumori, and in truth, she would be going soon anyway-it was not proper to stay out all night, after all. But she did so want to dance. And more than that, she wanted to understand.

 _If he tries any funny business, I'll flee._ Carefully, she nodded, and took his hand. Kaneda beamed, even more so than he already had been, and spun her away.

They danced for three songs-one that she recognised as 'Bolero' and two other classic songs whose names she could not quite recall. Kaneda was a surprisingly good dancer, quick and adept with a real sense for the rhythm of the songs being danced to. And he didn't try any funny business, though from time to time he had burst out with what had seemed to be stream-of-consciousness chatter which she hadn't been able to make much sense of let alone respond to. Not that had bothered him. But all in all, it had been an enjoyable experience.

"I need to go now." Yuna said, stepping away as the third song ended. "But thank you very much for dancing with me."

"Oh, oh, not a problem!" Kaneda exclaimed. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

"I'm in dorms." Yuna said.

"Oh, yes, silly me! Well, goodnight, Yorokobi-kouhai!"

Kaneda had zipped back into the crowd before Yuna could respond in kind, presumably to find someone to dance with. She blinked for a moment, and then left the hall.

She didn't realise quite how hot it had been in the hall until she stepped out into the coolness outside, and she gasped for breath. Quickly, she fumbled in her purse for her inhaler, and took a couple of puffs on it.

"Are you alright?"

Yuna blinked to see Mihoko and Hana together, looking at her in concern. She put her inhaler away and nodded.

"Yes, I am, thank you." She replied. "I'm just heading to bed."

"Ah, you had enough too?" Mihoko asked, sounding tired. "We're the same ourselves."

"I see." Yuna nodded. "Well then, goodnight."

The two girls said goodnight in return, and then they went their way, while Yuna went her way. And she wondered if she had any new understandings now. If this was the start of a new story.

She hoped that it was.

 **…**

Mokomichi followed the throng of people who were heading outside to watch the fireworks. There was a buzz around him, as people jostled each other to get to the areas that had been marked out as firework watching spots. Mokomichi looked at both of these, and shook his head, choosing to go somewhere else.

 _But first, a drink._

Mokomichi headed to the drinks table, but unfortunately, there was quite a crowd there, too. Clearly, other people had the same idea as him. _Oh well,_ he thought _,_ checking the time. _There's still a while to go._

"Is there something you want me to get you?"

"Huh?"

He hadn't even been _thinking_ of Mizuki, and somehow, she seemed to have just appeared, a good few people ahead of him.

"Uh, any kind of soda!" he called back out.

"Got it! Wait over there."

It was hard to tell quite where Mizuki was gesturing, but Mokomichi gratefully left the queue and ambled to the general area. While he waited, he pulled out his phone, and looked through the various messages, both on Shh! and normal messages. Mizuki eventually arrived, holding two cups. The one she held out to him had a green drink in it, which he regarded curiously.

"Melon soda." She said by way of explanation.

"Oh, right. What did you get?"

"Pink lemonade."

"Oh."

He was not sure why that surprised him, but decided to just let it go.

"Where do you want to watch the fireworks from?" he asked. "Over there, or somewhere quieter."

Mizuki blinked at him, and he wondered why he'd asked that. As if it was a given that they would watch the fireworks together. He didn't even know _why_ he wanted that. But after a moment, Mizuki answered.

"Somewhere quiet."

"Alright then." Mokomichi replied, trying not to sound too eager.

They walked around for a little while, and then eventually came to the willow tree, which was indeed quiet.

"Would this work?" Mizuki asked, looking up at the tree.

"Probably." Mokomichi shrugged. "It'd be better if we could climb into the tree."

Mizuki narrowed her eyes at him. He smirked, then took his phone out again.

"Look-some people have been climbing up in trees." He said, showing her the photos. "Nakajima and the girls are even in a tree in the graveyard."

"They _what_?" Mizuki narrowed her eyes as she flicked through, then eventually handed his phone back. "Well, we're not climbing the tree."

She said it so strongly that Mokomichi could not help but smirk again.

"Relax, it was only a joke. I'm sure standing by it will be fine."

And that was what they proceeded to do. Mokomichi took a couple of sips of his soda, Mizuki drank some of her pink lemonade. They stood in silence for a while, enough time for thoughts that had been drifting together over the course of the day to fully form. And, then, eventually…

"Hey, Teranaga…"

"Hmm?"

"The thing is, it's not easy to shake off thought patterns you are used to…"

Mizuki looked confused, and Mokomichi couldn't blame her. He wasn't sure how to word it in a way she could understand, the strategy of his he'd developed to deal with being in this place. Why he'd said the thing he had said, in the way he had. But he wanted to. Needed to, in fact. Because he'd come to realise something strange:

As much as he wanted Teranaga to prove herself to him, at some point he'd started to want to prove himself to her, too.

"This…what happened today. Well, technically yesterday, I suppose. But what happened today. With, Izumi…I hadn't quite made sense of it when we all met up earlier. In truth, I don't think I have, really. Something like this is always shocking. So I've been trying to understand it the way I understand everything about this school…and I know it doesn't quite fit. But it's what I have."

Mizuki tilted her head slightly, and considered him.

"You sounded callous."

"I wasn't trying to be."

 _Just trying to protect myself. The way I always did._ But where before he would have felt a stab of resentment towards her for not getting it, even though she had been one of them once, he just felt…something. Something that ached. It was why he'd let down his guard instead of being defensive that morning. It was why he was explaining himself now.

"I know, but still." Mizuki looked away for a moment. "You understand, don't you? Why you should care? Why we should all care."

"Mhm." Mokomichi shrugged. "But, yeah…I'm sorry."

Mizuki studied him for a long moment, and he fought the urge to squirm at being the observed rather than the observer in this moment. But eventually, she nodded, and Mokomichi was relieved.

"It's alright."

They broke eye-contact, and Mokomichi scrambled for something different to say. He looked down at his drink, and an old song lyric popped into his head. _Meron soda no hoshizora wo…._

"Do you think melon soda looks like the night sky?"

"I'm sorry, _what_?"

Mokomichi simply tilted his drink at her. Mizuki looked into the cup, and frowned.

"Do you think it looks like the night sky? Like, when it's all starry out?"

"It's _green_."

"Well, yes…" Mokomichi frowned, now seriously considering the question. "But still…"

"You might as well ask that of my drink, too." She said, incredulously.

Mizuki put her own cup next to Mokomichi's, and they compared the liquids. After a long moment, Mizuki took her cup away to take a sip from it.

"Maybe something in the fizz-it can look quite shimmery."

"Well, that is why they call them sparkling drinks, right?"

"I suppose…what sort of question is this anyway?" she inquired.

Mokomichi simply shrugged, and after a moment of staring, Mizuki shook her head and laughed. After a moment, Mokomichi started laughing too. Eventually, they calmed down, and Mizuki shook her head in amusement.

"You surprise me sometimes, you really do."

"I hope that's a good thing."

He said it casually, but he held his breath even so, hoping. Mizuki started to answer, but then there were bursts of sound, and colour filled the sky, and Mizuki turned, looking up wonderingly.

"Oh, look!"

Mokomichi blinked, and sighed. He locked away the feeling, and then he, too, looked up at the sky and all its colours.


	32. After-Party

**Sorry for this being so short, and for being late. The lateness is because of OGR and life (speaking of OGR-deadline is extended till next Sunday so there is still time to submit if you're interested) and the shortness is just another case of 'this feels like a good ending point'/ 'this wouldn't fit if I tacked it to the top of next chapter's content'. So, um, yeah. Hope you enjoy regardless!**

* * *

Sho sighed, and flopped back down on the bed. _I'm sooo bored!_ Sleep wasn't usually something he had issues with, but tonight, for some reason… _gahhhh._ He shook his head, and holding his phone above him, flicked through different chats, both messaging and on 'Shh!' _Maybe I should take a walk or something,_ he wondered as he flicked past selfies with Shino and Emiko, and a few other random year-group-mates, _perhaps sneak up onto the roof again._

Then he came to a photograph of the fireworks, taken from the tree in the graveyard, and paused. Wouldn't Riko's gravestone be put in soon? It wouldn't have been put in the night before, what with the party going on in full swing and people wandering everywhere to get a full view. And they'd been right there, they would have noticed people coming in to put in a new gravestone.

 _So…maybe tonight?_

Sho sat up instantly, grinning. _Of course!_ He sprung out of bed and got changed, throwing his pyjamas on his bed and dressing in the darkest clothes he owned. He put the hood over his head, and pulled on gloves, then on an impulse dug in a box for a pair of night-vision goggles. He usually only used them up in the air, but there was no reason that he couldn't use them now, as well. Picking up his phone, he changed his settings so there would be no flash and the screen would not be so bright (all clever sneaking-around advice from Shino), and then quietly left his room.

Technically, he wouldn't be questioned if he just strolled casually out-a lot of people had Talents that required them to be in and out at all hours and all that, and he was sure he could spin some excuse. Still, it was more exciting to think of himself as a rebel, so he snuck his way down, sticking to shadows, creeping past lit open doorways, crouching under windows until he was out, and then using foliage and the shadow of the other buildings of schools, following the route he had taken with Emiko and Shino to watch the fireworks last night. When he got there, he surveyed the graveyard-it did not look as if there were any new stones-but rather than waste time reading each one, he quickly scrambled up the tree again, settled himself in amongst the trees and branches, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited, until every cell was screaming in boredom again, and he was regretting ever having this idea, when suddenly, there was a stirring, a motion. Sho held his breath, leaned forward, pulling his phone up. There were shadows, barely visible, coming through the trees at the other end, one shadow lugging something behind it. Sho pressed record, and watched quietly as the people came, as they worked to put the stone in place. Watched as they tidied up. Watched as they left. And all of that time, he didn't move a muscle, not even to grin triumphantly as thoughts of all sorts ran through his head. He just watched, and recorded it all, and waited.

Once they had left, he began his descent down the tree, all the time looking around him to make sure none of them would be coming back. Keeping low, he half walked, half crawled through the path created by the other stones until he came to Riko's. He rapped his knuckles against it, examined it from all angles, and then drew back, pulled his phone out again, and took a photograph. He then sat there to send the video and photograph on the 'Shh!' chat before getting up and retracing his steps in reverse, until he was back in the safety of his room.

Once he was there, he grinned widely.

"I did it," he whispered to himself. "I did…something."

Things could only go up from here, he knew. So, still smiling, he changed back into his pyjamas, depositing his clothes haphazardly on his chair, before crawling back into bed and instantly falling asleep.

 **…**

Of the dreams Mizuki had had in the few hours of sleep she'd managed to wring from the night, a good few featured starry night skies the ridiculous green of melon soda. It was a funny thing, the things that stuck in the mind. It had clearly been Mokomichi's way of being light and cheerful, of adding some levity into their interactions, when usually they were so weighted. Yet, somehow, she had enjoyed that night before last, watching the fireworks with him. _But, it was just so silly. Melon-soda skies, who had ever heard of such a thing?_

" _You're supposed to be able to chat total crap with friends, you know."_ Aki had once said to her, back when they were still in school together. Which reminded Mizuki that she needed to carve out some time to see her old friend at one point, so as she got up and began to start her day, she made a mental note of that, before proceeding to go through the various different things she needed to do. Yet, in between tasks, her mind drifted to Mokomichi. In the day after the party, she hadn't seen him at all, due to her own schedule. She wondered-were they friends? It seemed a too easy word somehow, when interacting with him was anything but. One minute he was distant, the next close, even with the fact his apparent overall attitude to her had been warming up. But even so, to her, friendship was a complicated thing, not something that came easily. So, perhaps they were friends.

 _I certainly hope we are._

Mizuki sighed, and shook her head to clear it, before settling down to eat her breakfast, and idly scrolling through her phone. She opened the 'Shh!' chat and noticed, not unusually, that there had been a lot of messages since the last time she'd looked. But what was unusual was the content:

"What are they talking about?" she asked to herself.

Frowning, she scrolled up, past reams and reams messages and emoji reactions until finally, she reached a message sent by Sho at almost two in the morning-a simple _'look what I found!'_ with a photo attachment, and a video attachment. The thumbnails showed some people at night, somewhere in a dark clearing- _oh, could this be?_

She tapped on the video first, and watched it through. Sure enough, it was what she had suspected it to be-workers of some sort coming in to set up Riko's gravestone. The photograph was simply of the gravestone itself, newly carved and sitting proudly in its spot. Once she had studied both the video and the photo carefully, she scrolled back down the chat and tapped a message.

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Excellent work, Nakajima-san. My recommendation at the moment is to simply keep a hold of the footage-we should all make sure we have our own copies stored somewhere safe. There's potential for them to be included in a Counter-Documentary further down the line, but for now knowing that we have evidence that the Graveyard exists and is regularly maintained should be more than enough._

 _Emiko ;): Awwwwwwwww_

 _Sosuke Mori: No, Teranaga-san does talk sense. It is far better to be strategic about these things._

Mizuki put her phone down, and concentrated on finishing her breakfast and then washing up her things. When she returned to her phone, there were a few more messages.

 _Kumori Kurogane: May I ask something?_

 _Kaneda-sempai: Go ahead!_

 _Kumori Kurogane: I would like to visit this grave. Would somebody accompany me?_

 _Yunnie: Why, of course!_

Mizuki stared for a long moment, and then eventually started typing as well.

 _Mizuki Teranaga: I would be happy to as well._

 **…**  
Kumori knew instantly which grave was Riko's. Even if he had not seen Sho's messages, he would have been able to tell. The graveyard was different; the space was smaller, somehow. And heavier, with his sadness. After taking a few steps more, closer to the gravestone, he turned to Mizuki and to Yuna.

"Is it alright if you two waited here for a moment…"

"Yes, of course." Mizuki said quickly, before he could apologise. "Take the time you need."

Yuna nodded as if in agreement. Kumori managed a weak smile in gratitude, then slowly walked over to Riko's grave. For a long, long moment he simply stared at it, and then, not caring about the mud, sunk to his knees, placed the flowers he had been carrying down carefully in front of the stone, and thought about what to say.

There were so many things to say.

From _I'm sorry_ to _I wish you could have_ _told me_ to simply _why_? He could tell her that he missed her, and that when he had visited her parents, it seemed like they had regretted pushing her as far as they had. He could have described her funeral, or the shock of her classmates, and how Minah had given _him_ flowers for the loss. He could have described how it still didn't make sense that she was gone, that he wished that she had left a more expansive note than 'It doesn't matter anymore', just so he could have understood. So many, many things to say.

Kumori took a breath, _Oh, Riko-kun,_ and tried his hardest to not cry. For all the many, many things there were to say, in the night, he had come to the conclusion that only one was important. So he took yet another breath, and spoke:

"Riko-kun. I couldn't help you, but I promise you this: you will be the last one to suffer like this. I won't let anyone die like you did, ever again. Ever."

Only a few sentences, and yet it's knocked the wind out of me. Kumori closed his eyes, listened to the sound of trees in the wind. A part of him hoped to hear Riko answer him, but he knew it to be impossible. So, once he had collected himself, he opened his eyes and got up. He looked over at Mizuki and Yuna. The latter was discreetly wiping her eyes, whereas the former looked at him with a searing gaze.

"I will help you with that." Mizuki said, simply.

Kumori nodded at this, and then went to join them, so that they could all leave the Graveyard.


	33. It Continues

**A quick thing: In the section with Azuki's POV, the Hana referred to is not the Hana of the cast, but a different one. As a result, from this point, whenever I write Azuki's POV, the cast member Hana will be referred to as Otsuki, which is her surname, just to avoid confusion in Azuki's scenes.**

* * *

"Oh man, I'm glad that's all over!"

Minah smiled at Mawa's dramatic expression as she said this. They, along with Leah and Ai were walking to homeroom together, after having eaten breakfast together.

"Mhm, the Talent Exams are pretty stressful. Though not so much this time, since I submitted recordings rather than being examined live."

"Yes, I did, too." Leah nodded. "Well, not recordings, but a paper and my current manuscript. Still, it went well for all of us, right?"

"Mhm." Minah said.

"Yeah, it did!" Mawa agreed. "Just, ugh, exams! At least we don't have to do mid-terms and all that!"

"The Reserve Course will be doing end-of-term exams soon, won't they?" Ai shuddered. "I honestly do not envy them."

"Neither do I. They've must have had to work twice as hard, considering." Minah said.

"Oh, Minah-chan, I'm sure that it was a one-time thing!" Ai said cheerily.

"Was it though?" Minah asked, half to herself.

The 'one-time' thing that Ai was referring to was during a round of live Talent Exams, when the Principals had ordered some of the Reserve Course teachers over to invigilate them, even though it was during normal lesson times. Mizuki had quickly caught wind of this, even though as a first year the Talent Exams this time were not ones that she was taking, and she'd made enough of an case (or, as many people had viciously referred to it as, a 'scene') for letting the Reserve Course students be taught as normal that eventually they had relented, and sent the teachers back.

"What do you mean? They didn't do that last year, did they?" Ai said, quizzically.

"No, I don't remember Reserve Course teacher's at last year's." Leah said. "Though we wouldn't necessarily know if it happened in years we weren't here."

"That's true…."

But, though Minah didn't want to believe that the divisions between the Main and Reserve course could go that far, she had a feeling that it _had_ happened before. _This isn't the way things should be._ Yet, did it surprise her. Despite Mizuki's efforts, nothing felt different since Riko's suicide. She had expected at least the atmosphere to be different, for there to be a sense that others had had their thoughts affected in some way, yet everything felt the same. Exactly the same. It was only when she passed the others, or she peered in 98-A and looked at the photograph and flowers on the desk that she presumed had been Riko's that she could sense the difference.

 _Did she really mean that little here? Shouldn't she have been more mourned, if for no other reason than she was 'one of us', a Main Course student?_

"Hey."

When Mawa put a hand on Minah's arm, she realised she had stopped in her tracks.

"You alright?"

"Mhm." Minah nodded, and mustered a smile. "Yeah…yeah, it's all fine. Let's go."

When they got to their homeroom, Yuna was already there, sitting at a desk and reading a book.

"Good morning, Yorokobi-san!" Minah greeted.

"Good morning!" Yuna said, after looking up, eyes wide in surprise.

Mawa, Leah and Ai also made their greetings, to which Yuna responded cautiously, before going back to her book. Minah made her way to her seat, and her friends did the same, and they chatted about other things while the class filled up, and then their teacher arrived. They fell quiet for the register, and then the teacher eyed them all.

"In a few minutes, there will be a very important message from the Student Council on video message, which every class in this building will be listening to. You need to pay careful attention to this. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei!" the class chorused.

The teacher nodded, then sat down and pulled up the video conferencing programme on her computer and therefore also on the whiteboard, clicking a few times, and then waiting. The screen was blank at first, and then a shot of the Student Council room appeared. The president, Michiaki Nomura, was sitting at what Minah presumed to be the table they used for meetings, and Sosuke and Mizuki stood behind him, next to each other.

"Good morning, Hope's Peak," Nomura said, every word careful. "I hope you are all doing well. I've got an important announcement for you. As you know, Riko Izumi's… _unfortunate_ passing away has left us with a rather large gap in the Student Council, and though we know it is important to mourn her, we have been thinking long and hard as to how to bridge that gap while ensuring that both the Student Council and wider school life proceed as normal."

There was a small buzz around the room, and a lot of people looked over at Masao Kishitani and asked him questions. Minah simply waited, propping her chin in her hand, and turning the information over in her head.

"After many thoughts, we internally selected two candidates who would potentially make good Deputy Presidents," Nomura said. "They will now say a few words to you, and then I will explain the voting process. Mori-san, if you could go first."

Sosuke nodded, and stared evenly at the camera.

"Good morning. I am Sosuke Mori, the SHSL Judicidal Scrivener of 98-A, and I am their class Representative. You may also know that I used to be Riko Izumi's unofficial deputy, and I am very familiar with the responsibilities as a result. As the Deputy, I would help President Nomura to ensure the Student Council runs well in order to make sure that Hope's Peak remains as excellent as it always has, with the same dedication as I give my judicial duties. Nobody here will be let down by shoddy management or poor communication for as long as I was Deputy, if I was to be chosen. Naturally, I will trust in your judgements, but I hope you will consider me for this very demanding role."

"Thank you, Mori-san." Nomura said. "Now, Teranaga-san."

"Right, thank you." Mizuki acknowledged before turning to look at the camera. Her eyes seemed to flash as she took a moment to collect herself. Then, she spoke:

"Good morning. I have a feeling I've become somewhat notorious at this point, but just in case, my name is Mizuki Teranaga, I'm the SHSL Philanthropist, and I joined Hope's Peak's Main Course this year. Having been on the Reserve Course prior to this, I've been intimately familiar with this school for a long time, and in my role as Class Representative, I have already been working to make sure Hope's Peak is the best that it can be, for everyone who attends, no matter if they have a Talent or not. I know that not everyone agrees with my stance, but it comes from a position of caring about this school. And if I was to be selected as a Deputy, I would continue to fight tirelessly for all your rights, as Talented students, non-Talented students, and as human beings as well-"

"Thank you very much, Teranaga-san." Nomura said at this point, nodding at her before turning back to the camera.

Minah frowned. _I was sure that she had more to say._ And indeed, from the fact that on the screen it seemed her eyes had narrowed, and that her stance was now stiffer, it did appear as if she had been interrupted. _That isn't fair._

"Now, once this call is completed, a link will be sent to you all via your school accounts-it will be most easily accessible on your Electro-IDs, but you can log in on a different device via the website-and it will take you to a secure survey to vote for your choice of Deputy. You will have until the end of the week to cast your vote, and then whoever gets the most votes will be the new Deputy President of the Student Council. If there are any queries, please do come up to the Student Council offices, or contact anyone on the Student Council-apart from our candidates, of course. Now, I will let you all get on with your days. Goodbye!"

With that, the screen flickered and went dark again. The teacher exited the app, and then looked at them all.

"Well, that seems straightforward, doesn't it? I'm sure the link will come up soon, and homeroom is almost finished now, so I will let you chat amongst yourselves until it is time to go-oh, what is it, Kang-san?"

Minah blinked, and looked up at her arm. She didn't remember putting her hand up. _But, I do have a lot of questions…_

"Did the Reserve Course receive this message too?"

"Oh my god, really? Kang, I know you're nice and all, but that's such a silly question!" Uchida called out.

"Exactly, like, why would they?" Isobe asked.

"No, no, it is fair enough," the teacher said. "But Kishitani-kun, you will be best equipped to answer. Could you answer Kang-san?"

Minah turned around to Masao, who gave a confident grin.

"No, the Reserve Course did not get this message. That's because it doesn't affect them.

"But they still go to this school." Minah said, baffled.

"Yes, well. They barely know the Main Course, so it is not as if their vote would have any meaning."

"Dear lord, you're becoming like Teranaga," another classmate said. "Who I'm sure as heck not voting for? Who wants such an uptight person bossing them around anyway?"

"That's not a nice thing to say-"Yuna began.

"Oh, who cares if it isn't nice, Prudie!" Isobe called out.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Mawa yelled. "She was just defending Kang-chan. You know, Kang-chan? Literally the _best person_ in this class?"

"Mawa-san…" Minah started, but then stopped.

"Alright, stop it there." The teacher said, standing up unexpectedly. "You may have a debate if you prefer, but I won't be having my class fighting over something that is unnecessary to fight over. "

"Sorry, sensei." Minah apologised immediately, immediately earning _what the heck_ looks from her friends, Mawa in particular.

The teacher seemed satisfied at this, and returned to her own tasks while the class chatted.

"You're going to vote for her, aren't you?" Leah asked, softly.

"Yes." Minah said, simply, even though what she badly wanted to say was a more impassioned _of course._

"I mean, she seems nice enough, but she does go on and all that. Like, not everything is this big battle, is it?" Ai said.

 _More things are, more than I realised._

"She got interrupted," she said instead. "When she was speaking. I know she said more, but he should have let her finish."

"I thought she had." Leah said, after a moment.

"Yeah, same." Mawa said. "I didn't really notice, but if that was the case, that is kinda sucky, even if I was leaning more towards him instead anyway. Oh, look here's the link!"

Mawa held up her Electro-ID, and Leah and Ai twittered excitedly as they got theirs. Minah dug hers out, and found the link. She stared at it for a long moment, hesitant to make the plunge even though she knew exactly who she would be choosing and why. But since she needed to make that choice, eventually, she pressed it.

 **…**

Mizuki sighed and rubbed her head.

"Well, I think that covers every-"

"Actually, we have something."

Mizuki stopped abruptly, and looked across the panic room at Shino, who looked back with a small smile on their face. Emiko and Sho, either side of them, looked at Shino, which answered the question about who 'we' was.

"What is it?"

Shino reached into the pocket of the shirt they were wearing, and pulled out an envelope with bits of sellotape stuck to it. There was writing on the front, but it didn't appear to be an address.

"So, the other day, we found this stuck to the piano in the Music Room. You guys' one." Shino pointed to Mizuki to clarify.

"Alright, and what is it?" Mizuki asked, not really sure quite how to react to this.

Shino grinned for a moment, and then dramatically pulled a folded sheet of paper out, shaking it to unfold it. They looked around, as if savouring their suspense, and Emiko's and Sho's matching grins seemed only to heighten this feeling.

"Oh my lord, come out with it already!" Azuki muttered.

Shino just grinned, but then their gaze got to Kumori, and they faltered. But only for a moment, as soon the grin came back, and they whipped back around to face Mizuki.

"It's a note. From Izumi. A suicide note."

"Riko-kun left a note."

The reaction was immediate, shocked. Kumori stared at Shino in shock, hand hovering near his mouth.

"She left a note. " he repeated. "In her bedroom."

"Yeah, yeah, that was probably a decoy though. This, though, is the real thing!" Shino declared. "Here, you can read it. And maybe you could explain what the music on the front is about?"

Kumori stared at Shino's outstretched hand, at the envelope and the sheet of paper. Yuna murmured something that was indistinguishable, but had a comforting tone, and Kaneda, sitting on his other side, instantly put a comforting arm around him.

"It's okay, kouhai!" he declared.

"Music on the front?" Keiko asked.

"If he knows, he will tell us." Mizuki said.

She was as curious as the rest of them, but she couldn't force it. She darted a quick look at Sosuke, hoping to make it clear that he wasn't to force it, either. He looked back at her almost blankly, as if he had no idea what she meant, but they both knew that the other knew. It was an uneasy truce they had, since Sosuke had become Deputy. He was the one in the position of power, but that didn't mean that Mizuki would ever stop fighting. And both there and here, they were supposed to be on the same team. She didn't like considering herself power-thirsty, but she knew that this was something she could use.

And use it she would. Presumably, he knew that too. _Still, as long as it's for the right reasons, it's fine._

Eventually, Kumori reached for the note and envelope, and looked at the latter item first. He frowned, and bought it closer to his face, which at first scrunched up in confusion, before recognition bloomed.

" _I Giorni_." He murmured.

"Iggy-what now?" Sho asked.

"I think it's foreign." Kaneda remarked.

"It sounds like it." Mokomichi said.

Mokomichi then proceeded to take out his phone and tap at it. A few moments later, he plugged his earphones in, and put them into his ears, and listened to something for a moment, before nodding to himself and taking it out. When he noticed Mizuki watching him curiously, he simply mouthed ' _I'll show you later'._

"She always liked that one." Kumori murmured, apparently having not heard any of them.

He put the envelope on the floor in front of him, almost reverentially, and then smoothed out the letter before holding it up to read it silently. Mizuki tried not to stare, but that was exactly what she ended up doing.

"So, what does it say?" Sosuke asked after a few moments.

"Let him _read_ it first." Azuki snarked.

Sosuke opened his mouth to respond, then thought better of it, and closed it again, frowning slightly. Mihoko audibly sighed in relief, which earned sniggers from Sho and Shino. Eventually, Kumori sighed, and let the hand holding the letter fall to his side, while he looked up at the ceiling, and closed his eyes for a minute.

"Um, Kurogane-kun?" Keiko asked.

"It's okay." Kumori said, hoarsely. "It's okay."

He let out a shaky, tear-logged breath, though he did not cry. Then, he straightened, held out the letter.

"I…I can't read it aloud. Could somebody…"

"Yes, of course."

Before anyone could even think about it, Minah was there, kneeling, gently taking the letter from Kumori, before getting up and looking down at the words. She took a deep breath, and then began to read.

" _Kumori,_

 _By the time you read this, I'll be gone. And that's the point of this, really. If I wasn't going to do this, I wouldn't be writing this. So, before I get into the real heart of this matter, please know this-whatever you might have said if you had known of my plans-and I know I would have made darn sure that you didn't-you wouldn't have been able to stop me. This was the only option left to me, and I will have taken it. I just wanted to be free._

 _But, I knew it would come at a cost, particularly to you. You've been a good friend all this time, and you certainly deserved better than this, than having me so angry at the world and everything else in it that isn't you (or Hoshiko, for that matter, I always thought she was decent-please tell her that). And I know that though you'd prefer me to keep living, that's one thing I can't just do. But there is one thing._

 _Kumori, I know you're up to something. I'm not sure what that something is, but ever since those riots happened, I know you're up to something. Something ambitious, and wild, and possibly dangerous. Most likely pointless, because this is Hope's Peak, after all. But it's good that you're trying anyway, I guess. The point is, I know you are going to come across backlash with this something, and that you're probably going to do some things that are….questionable, at best. Hopefully little more than that, but you never know. So, my last gift to you, the only thing I can give you-a scapegoat._

 _If there is anything, anything at all, you can say is my fault, or that it came from me, say it. Use my name, use the fact that I'm going to make sure that it can't be proved, either way. It is not as if I will be here to be affected. Make the most of it._

 _-Riko"_

When Minah had finished, her hands trembled, but still, she managed to fold up the letter carefully, following the original creases, before handing it back over to Kumori, and then retaking her seat.

"So….uh…" Sho said. "What do you all think of that?"

"Well, the intention of her letter is clear." Sosuke said. "And we can assume this has something to do with the rumours that have been going around about Izumi-san's deliberate vandalism of her property prior to her death."

"Yes, it does seem to suggest that has some truth to it…" Keiko said, thoughtfully.

"Poor Izumi-san, though." Minah said, softly.

"Mhm." Mizuki agreed. "But…it's said that having a note can help, in some ways. Does it?"

"I suppose….yet….are we actually going to? Blame Riko-kun, for anything we've collected?"

"It would be foolish not to." Sosuke said.

"Though we'd need to be careful about what we did," Mihoko said. "And not attribute something to her that she couldn't possibly have been there to witness."

"That's true, yes." Mizuki nodded, thoughtfully.

"Well, there's one obvious thing."

Everyone looked at Shino, who simply rolled their eyes heavily.

"Uh, hello, the riot footage? If we want to expose it. Good old Fumiyo Doux can claim it was from an anonymous source, then if he gets grilled, just strongly imply it was Riko."

"Yeah, sure, except I'd rather not get grilled." Azuki fired back.

"Though, if you are finding evidence of things that happened while she was still alive, but at a later date, it still could have come from her, right?" Keiko spoke up.

"Yes, yes." Sosuke said. "Exactly. And if we are to cover ourselves, this is an opportunity that is far too good to waste."

"I agree, but…." Mizuki sighed. "Well, Kurogane-sempai, are you happy with us doing that?"

Kumori frowned for a moment, then nodded resolutely. There was something about the hardness of his eyes and the set of his jaw which made her think of the graveyard, and the vow he'd made there at Riko's stone once it had been put up.

" _I promise you this: you will be the last one"_

"Yes." He said. "Yes, I am."

He got up, unsteadily, and walked over to Mizuki, and handed the letter over, gesturing to their pin board as he did so.

"You may put it up on the murder board, if you think that is a good idea." He said.

"Yes, of cou-wait, did you say _murder board_?"

Kumori tilted his head quizzically.

"I….yes. I heard some of you guys refer to it as such…is that not right?"

"Well, I mean, we are not killing people? Though I'm thinking you mean more along the lines of investigating murders?" Mizuki said, still confused.

"You have to admit, it does look like that." Mokomichi remarked.

"Well, murder investigators are good guys and we're good guys, right?" Kaneda said cheerfully. "Nothing wrong with calling it a murder board in that case."

"I….." Mizuki sighed, and rubbed her head. "Right, whatever it's called, put it up."

Kumori did so, and then went to sit back down. Mizuki sighed, and looked at it. _I wonder what we will be using her name for, further down the line._

"Right," she said, turning back again. "Let's leave it there, then."

 **…**

Azuki reached for his packet of crisps, and grabbed a handful of them, shoving it in his mouth mindlessly. He crunched down on them, swallowing, then spoke:

"Right, I think it's ready."

"I…Azuki, are you sure?" Daniel asked from the screen.

"Yeah, I've edited the shit out of it." Azuki said.

"No, not that."

Something about his close friend's voice made Azuki pause, and look over. Of course, it was still daylight in Paris, so the room Daniel was in looked a great deal sunnier. Of course, the screen with his other friend was as artificially lit as his, given she was Japanese. But that was beside the point right now.

"What is it?"

"It's the video itself." His friend, Hana, said. "We're a little worried."

"Have you two been talking about me?" he asked incredulously.

Though, even though that was also beside the point, he couldn't help but feel pleased his two best friends had been having a conversation independently of him…

"Well, yes, but with good reason…." Daniel replied.

"Nah, mate, I get it. Really." Azuki said.

"Do you?"

"Yeah…" _Because I've been circling it over and over in my head…._

"But, look, it's something…something that I have to do. I have people who have my back about it, too. So….trust me, yeah?"

Daniel sighed, and on the other screen, Hana sighed too. Then, they both nodded.

"Alright." Hana said. "We will. "

"So….it's time to upload! Ready?"

Again, two nods, though both their expressions were wary. Azuki gave them his best smile, and then went through the process, and waited for the progress bar to fill. Little by little, it inched forwards, and then….

"It's done! Phew!" Azuki said, grinning wildly, more relieved than he imagined. Sure, there would be more to come, but that was later. For now, this one was done.

"Woo!" Daniel applauded.

"Now, we really need to talk about the summer holidays…." Azuki said.

 **…**

Shino sighed as they looked around them in the panic room, surrounded by the things from Eizan's box. Over and over, they did the same thing, looking for something, anything. Expecting that the sparse things they had, mostly just newspaper cuttings and printouts from the time, would somehow rearrange themselves into the answer they'd been looking for, ever since they'd known they'd be coming here.

Ever since they'd remembered.

Shino picked up one printout, and looked at the picture. A still from a video, depicting a middle-aged couple sitting behind a desk, microphones in front of them, a policeman and some other figures standing innocuously behind them, flashes of light suggesting the presence of multiple cameras. The man and the woman looked suitably drained and devastated, even in the blurriness of the picture, the mother holding onto the little girl with an appropriate level of protectiveness, while the little girl stared straight at the audience, eyes wide, long hair escaping from carefully be-ribboned bunches, clutching to a pink teddy-bear. The entire set-up, of course, was a lie. The little girl had not even been a girl, even if she hadn't known it at the time.

 _But I remember, I think, how it felt. Mother's grip was too tight, but of course I couldn't complain. Because…_ The pink teddy bear from the photograph lay in front of her now, raggedy and neglected now, proof that the day had been real. Proof that that _time_ had been real. But all Shino had to show for it was implications and hints, suggestions. No real answers. Just yet.

 _But, I'm edging closer, I know it._

With all this, they had more excuse to sneak around, to try and find clues. They had had suspicions about the secret areas-the school maps didn't match the amount of space there-they were surprised nobody else had noticed, as presumably they weren't the only ones with eyes. Then again, Hope's Peak had managed to cover up what was essentially mass murder, so perhaps it was not too far of a stretch. And just in this term alone, so much had happened, they had been right there, discovering, documenting. If the worst came to worst and answers could not be sought by their own hands, they could force it. But so much had been happening.

Principal Hinata was moving his things out of the Reserve Course office to share with Naegi, so that the extra space could be used to benefit the students (that was the line, but Shino didn't believe it, even if Mizuki had seized upon the opportunity to turn the space into a meeting room so that the Class Representatives of each class could actually, well, meet, and therefore make it easier for them to actually organise things for the Reserve Course. _Not that it will make much difference in the long run if they're still not considered part of the 'real' Student Council._ But things were actually happening.

And more importantly, it gave Shino an opening. They would not be going home this summer holidays, pleading studies and other various generic soundbites to please parents who wouldn't have been falling over themselves to welcome them back anyway. But many people would be, and for all there were new security cameras on the grounds, Shino could evade better than most people. And knowing Hope's Peak, they would assume that there was nothing for them to worry about, because they were special. So perhaps something would just get misplaced from the move between offices.

Shino had to restrain themselves from rubbing their hands in glee at the thought. Instead, looking at the circle of things in front of them, they reached for another printed out photograph-an old school photograph, the features faded, but forever imprinted in Shino's brain. They held it, for a long moment, thinking of all sorts of sentimental words, about _loss_ and _closure_ and _missing you_. Words that would also be lies, even with the twinge in their chest that was growing ever stronger.

Instead, Shino silently made the vow that they always did, every time they did this:

 _I will find those answers._

 **…**

Mizuki finished the reply, and sent it off, sighing in relief. It was almost time for her to 'wake up', but of course, she had been awake anyway. It would have been better to try and have regained some of the sleep she'd already lost, but forces greater than her had seemed to be at work, and now here she was, ploughing through admin, music that Mokomichi had shown her piping through earphones that he had also given her and swirling around her brain, giving her an unexpected peace. Of course, though, music was no substitute for company.

 _I wonder,_ she thought, _what would it be like if someone lived with me?_ Family life felt like a long-distant dream sometimes, she had settled that well into the everyday realities of living alone. Yet, sometimes, she wondered. She didn't imagine it'd be all smooth going, living with somebody else, but if she did….she wondered if they would have been woken by her decision to do work in the night. If they would have got up to check on her, encouraged her to go back to bed or something. Aki had once said she should have got a roommate, but Mizuki didn't think that was how roommates worked. Didn't they just share a space for practicality, but essentially live separate lives?

No, what she wondered about was something more than that. It was about the sharing of a life. What would it be like, to share a life? To eat together, to ask each other about their days, to wait up and look out for each other? To talk about things, and even listen to music together with? She did not need coddling, or looking after, but there was a sense of safety in knowing that there would be someone there.

"I wish for it, sometimes." She murmured to herself.

Though, perhaps, the fact she wouldn't necessarily want to admit that to someone was a good thing about living alone. Even when the topic had come up with Aki, all that time ago, she had not mentioned this feeling. Mizuki rubbed her eyes, tiredly, and at that moment, the music stopped. She sighed, flipped back to YouTube, and looked for another song that she remembered being recommended to her. Once it started, she resolutely pushed all thoughts about sharing lives out of her mind, and concentrated on what she needed to do.

Eventually, her stomach rumbled, reminding her it was morning and she needed to eat, and she shut her laptop down. Getting up, she looked down at her mobile phone, which she hadn't touched.

"Now would be a good time to set some summer holiday plans into motion, wouldn't it?"

With that thought in mind, she picked it up, and went straight to 'Shh!. Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of messages, most of it nonsense as usual:

 _Sho: Wore_

 _Yunnie: What? Wore what?_

 _Yunnie: WAIT A MINUTE DID YOU JUST CALL ME A WHORE?_

 _Yunnie: HOW DARE_

 _Yunnie: I DON'T DESERVE THIS_

 _Sho: well not u specifically but hahahaha_

 _Yunnie: HOW DARE_

 _Moko(michi): Yorokobi, I would never have pegged you to be the 'how dare' type._

Mizuki shook her head at that for a moment, before moving on, and eventually discovering that Azuki had, at some point in the night, posted the first instalment of the counter documentary. She smiled. It would be something to watch over breakfast, rather than just sitting there in complete silence.

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Just saw the upload-well done! But, to everyone, what plans should we make for the upcoming school holidays?_

 **…**

On an impulse, instead of going straight up to the Student Council rooms, Sosuke went to his classroom instead. He did not really know why he did that though, so once he was there, he stopped in the doorway, looking in. The classroom was ordinary, emptier looking than usual since it was nearly the summer holidays, but all the same, ordinary. Still, he looked around.

Eventually (almost inevitably, for it did stand out) his gaze fell upon the small glass jar of flowers that were sitting on Riko's desk, alongside a framed copy of her last school portrait. The flowers, small and once-bright blooms, were wilting, and the water looked green. He wondered what Riko would have made of that, whether if, she could see this, she would see it as an excuse to justify the fact she had decided to die. Or maybe the flipside might have been true, that seeing the flowers back when they were healthy would have caused her to feel regret. To realise that she had an impact on others.

It was a pointless question either way though.

Yet, despite that, he entered the room, and picked up the jar. He inspected it, and then, with a huff, left the room. First, he threw away the old flowers, then he went to refill the jar, before heading down to the garden, and picking flowers that he thought looked similar to the old ones, arranging them in the jar and then going back up and placing the new blooms on the desk. Once he had done that, he stepped back and regarded them for a moment.

And inexplicably, he felt pleased with himself.

With a sigh, not sure what to do with these thoughts, he checked the time. _Oh good, I still have plenty of time. All the same, I must not dawdle. There are a lot of things that need to be done today._

And with that, he brushed down his blazer, and quickly left.


	34. To The Surface

"Wow, it sounds like a riot over there-oh, maybe that was a bad choice of words."

"No, it's fine." Mihoko shook her head fondly, imagining her childhood friend Kazumi pulling a comic-stricken face at the other end of the phone. "Quite apt, actually."

This produced so much spluttering at the other end, that Mihoko was just about to ask if Kazumi was alright, but then she spoke.

"Well, I guess it is the Centenary, which is supposed to be a big deal. There was something in the newspapers about the party that you had over there back in June, and also about the video that Fumiyo-kun put out. Did all that stuff really happen?"

"Oh, I haven't told you the half of it." Mihoko said drily.

"Too right you haven't, you have to save it for our meet-up! Iroha will _kill_ me if I listen to all your stories now!"

 _Not what I meant….._

Mihoko simply sighed as she looked at the view rushing past her. Yes, she had held back stories so that when she actually met up with her friends for lunch later on in the holidays, there'd be something for her to actually talk about (though she probably would rather have lapsed into silence and listened to them talk about their high schools. Probably.). But in truth, even when she did that, she would not have told them the half of it. Far from it.

 _Mihoko frowned. The last time a large group of students had gathered around one small area, it was because the Izuru Kamukura statue had broken. But there were no statues up, and it was a wall that they'd gathered around-a wall of part of the building extension that'd just been completed._

 _As she walked past the memorial bench that'd been put in place for Riko, someone in the crowd turned around-it was Mokomichi, and being him, he noticed her straight away, and lifted his hand up in a wry half-wave. Mihoko nodded back, and with a mix of both reluctance and avid curiosity, sped up as she joined the crowd._

" _What's happened?" she asked._

" _Graffiti." Mokomichi said, simply._

" _What?"_

 _Mihoko pushed forward, and then through a gap in the crowd, she saw it-a mess of haphazard colours, sprayed all over, and then on the top in a lurid red like blood, a single, condemning word:_

 _SCUM_

"Yeah, no…"

"Sorry?"

Mihoko startled.

"Oh, no. Just thinking of Mori….he's giving me a session in his law offices today." Mihoko explained.

"Oh, man, stuffy Mori?"

"Yes."

"Man, you'll have to tell us more stories about him!"

"Well, I suppose I will have more by the end of today…." Mihoko shrugged as she considered this.

"Too right you will!"

After that, Mihoko let Kazumi talk, happy to remain half-listening and making noises in the right places. When the announcement came for the stop she needed to get off at, she said goodbye to Kazumi and hung up, and prepared to get off the train.

 _I haven't told you the half of it._

No, she hadn't. She hadn't told them just how bad the riots were (even if she had accidentally let slip that she'd hidden in a bush, much to their amusement and her eternal regret). She hadn't told them about Azuki being threatened, and the lengths they'd gone to in order to imply that the clips released in his first 'Counter Documentary' episode had been courtesy of a dead girl. She hadn't told them that even with that, some Main Course students had been convinced it had been some of the Reserve Course students whom Azuki's scholarships supported, and that they'd tracked down those names (even though they were not meant to be known by any students apart from the relevant ones) and cyber-harassed them, until one ended up leaving.

 _I haven't told you the half of it._

She hadn't told them of Emiko's attempted assault, let alone that it had been the first of many, because apparently the most elitist and vicious of the Main Course students had been emboldened by the fact that they had a glossy image to hide behind. She hadn't told them about how she had noticed that a classmate-Yuki Shimada, whose name Mihoko had initially only remembered because of her complicated braided hairstyle-had in the last days of the term been wearing the same haunted expression that Emiko had tried so hard to hide. How she and Mokomichi had, after conferring, tried to check on her, only to be met with prickly coldness and a further withdrawal. She hadn't told them that a good few other girls in different years had taken to carrying pepper spray, to making sure they never walked the school grounds alone.

 _I haven't told you the half of it._

Stopping by a newsagents, and flicking through a newspaper from a stand while glancing surreptiously through the shop window in case the newsagent noticed and didn't like her reading it, she came across a small article about Hope's Peak, in which Principal Naegi gave a vague statement about 'past practices' and how 'this centenary will help to improve us by celebrating all the good we've done', and she thought of how for even the most egregious of offences, the perpetrators had been given similarly vague lectures, they had been given slaps on the wrists, if anything at all. As far as she knew, there was only one teacher who really tried to stand up for any Reserve Course student, constantly toeing the line between what was right and what she needed to do to keep her job. But she certainly had not told Iroha and Kazumi that.

 _No,_ she thought _, I haven't told the half of it. And I won't._ Feeling suddenly despondent, Mihoko put the newspaper back in the stand, and checked the time before looking out at the street in front of her. And sure enough, after a few moments, a figure in a suit came into view, walking briskly towards her. Taking a deep breath, Mihoko arranged her features into a suitably polite version of boredom, and waved.

"Good morning, Sakurai-san." Sosuke said as he got near.

"Good morning." Mihoko said in response.

"Shall we go then?"

"Presumably that's the point?"

"….I will take that as a yes, then."

 **…**

"I have never shown you the archives, have I?"

This was such an abrupt change in subject that Mihoko stopped and turned very slowly to look at Sosuke. The morning had been uneventful so far, mostly more admin-like tasks. And though it was mundane, and she was getting tired of being referred to as 'the work experience girl' whenever Sosuke introduced her to yet another adult colleague, she had to admit he hadn't been that bad. Certainly he wasn't becoming more insufferable as a result of being a Deputy. _Just the same amount as before._ But still, not that bad.

"The archives?" she asked.

"Yes, the archives of this firm." Sosuke said. "Where all hard copies documentation from old cases go. We have material spanning back a good 100 years."

"I sort of understood that much." Mihoko fought the urge to roll her eyes. "But no, you haven't shown me?"

"Well then," Sosuke said, looking at her for a moment, as if assessing her, before continuing. "Then, I will take you there. They are in the basement."

"Alright….?"

There wasn't really a reason to argue for or against it, so she followed Sosuke down into the basement.

"This is the computer that we use to make searches for whatever it is we might come down to look for-everything that comes in here is logged, in order to make things more efficient."

"Otherwise you'd just be spending all day in here." Mihoko half-yawned. _Way to state the obvious._

"Exactly. All files are in chronological then alphabetical order, but yes, it would take a while if you were not exactly sure what it was you needed."

"I can imagine."

"I'll show you how a search works."

Sosuke did so, choosing a custody case from about five years ago, and walking her to where it would be found. He then repeated this for a couple other different cases, and made her go and look for the relevant files.

"And this is for when something requires the utmost discretion." Sosuke said, tapping at the computer and revealing a similar search engine set-up, just with a darker-coloured background. He gave her a sideways look as he did this.

"An incognito search."

"Yes. Would you like to try it?"

"With what, though?" she asked.

"Oh, I am sure you can think of something." Sosuke said. "Perhaps something historical, a cold case of some sort."

"Riiiiight."

Again, he was giving her that sideways look. _WHAT DOES IT MEAN?_ She yawned again, covering her mouth, then sighed, and looked at the screen, fingers hovering over the keys as she sifted through a lifetime of random trivia. And then, quite suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.

 _No….that wouldn't…really? Of all the things?_

It was impossible, and Mihoko was just tempted to type something in randomly, just to get this odd little exercise over with. But what if there really was something? Mihoko sucked in a breath, and typed:

 _Hope's Peak_

 _2010_

 _The Parade_

She hesitated a moment, then told herself to get over it, and pressed the button to start the search. For a brief time, it seemed as if nothing would actually come of it, but then with a whir, the computer told her that there was. That indeed, there were eleven results. She looked over at Sosuke, astonished, and he just nodded back at her. Once again, with the assessing look, which was _really_ starting to frustrate her. _Though, there's something about it…_

"May I?" she asked.

"Be my guest, it's empty in here at the moment."

Mihoko didn't wait for him to change his mind (though, why would he?) and after writing down the locations, went straight to find them. She had to go right to the back, which was suspicious right away-why would things relating to a case from 2010 be in amongst things from the early 1900s and late 1800s-but once she got there, it didn't take her long.

 _Drat, it's too dark._ Then Mihoko remembered she had a torch app on her phone, so she took it out, turned on the torch, and settled down to read. Contracts, planning permissions, all of them providing evidence that something had indeed happened, hinting at the cover-up of said something in cold, precise, legal-matter language describing things that would be relatively mundane otherwise, but the shivers they produced in Mihoko were minimal.

The rest was a different story.

Police reports had a language that was just as stark, just as precise, but the things they described. Students being trampled on, horrific injuries on top of horrific injuries, witness statements that recalled the smell of blood and tears and the sounds of screaming and crying in vivid, vivid detail. The photographs that accompanied them-one girl looked scarily like Mihoko, even though they were complete strangers and this other girl had green curly hair, purple eyes, and actually wore the skirt for uniform like she was supposed to. Other faces looked a lot like the ones she saw around her in her class every day, others reminded her of Mokomichi and Hana and Shino, and even Keiko, Minah and Sho. In other words, they looked like ordinary teenagers. Just ordinary teenagers, doing ordinary things, like her. Yet somehow, they had been caught up in the sort of carnage that only went on in wars, far, far away from here.

The student records that accompanied all of this showed Mihoko just how ordinary they were, despite apparent attempts by Hope's Peak to label them as troublemakers, as if they had deserved to die, or be injured in ways that would not one day heal, or to be traumatised. So, so, ordinary. And she was sure all they'd wanted was to be treated well. With the respect they deserved as people, just like how the Main Course students were people.

 _And look how well that ended._

 _What's the point,_ she thought with a heavy sigh, _just, what's the point?_ A part of her wanted to put it all away and forget about it, but a bigger part of her wanted for it to all come out, so that Hope's Peak could buckle under the shame. _Or even better, get closed down from it. Because if something like this could happen, what's the point of trying to change it? It'd be better if we could just wash everything away._

So carefully, meticulously, she used her phone to take pictures of every single item, even the ones that had her feeling nauseous. When she was done, she quickly put everything away, just where she found it, and went back to where Sosuke was waiting. Even without him asking, she held out her phone and prepared to show one of the photographs.

"There's proof that The Parade exists." She said in a quiet, urgent tone.

"Well, of course," Sosuke said. "That is what the results would suggest."

"Take a look, though." Mihoko urged.

"There is no need," Sosuke said. "We should go back up."

"Yes, but…"

Suddenly, it hit Mihoko, and she stopped abruptly just as she reached the top of the stairs leading back up. _Of course. Why didn't I realise?_

"Wait. You already knew, didn't you?"

Sosuke also stopped, and turned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?"

"You already knew that I would find what I just found. You've probably looked at it yourself."

She expected Sosuke to deflect, or straightforwardly deny it, but instead he just nodded slowly.

"I was wondering if you would pick up on that. I'm impressed, Sakurai-san."

"That's….not the point though." Mihoko sighed.

"No, I suppose not, but let's keep walking."

"Sure…"

Mihoko followed obediently.

"So, when are we going to tell the others? Because they should know? We could use it."

"We are not."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I am not going to reveal the existence of these documents to anyone, and neither should you."

"Why?"

Mihoko deliberately made herself sound as petulant as possible, completely gobsmacked by the apparent ease in which he said this, but also irked by the fact he thought that she'd agree to this.

"It has nothing to do with anything we are dealing with."

"Um, yes it does?" Mihoko said. "It has everything to do with it, it's part of a wider pattern, and it was part of why the rio-"

"We cannot talk about that here," Sosuke said as they reached his desk again. "We could be overheard."

"Alright then, I'll whisper." Mihoko reasoned, lowering her voice. "But what do you want to do, just forget? That's ridiculous, and you know it, if you looked past your elitism you would know it. "

"Actually, yes, forgetting would be better." Sosuke said, looking mildly smug. "You may keep your records, but we will be keeping silent about this matter."

"With all due respect, I think we should talk this over."

"Well, maybe later, but not now."

The way he said that suggested that there would not be a further conversation, that he was just trying to get her to drop the whole issue now, so that he could brush it away. _Uhm, no. I'm not letting it slide that easy. Yes, it would be less effort, but no._ The images she had seen flickered in her mind, and she grasped ahold of them, forced them to remain bright, to spur her on to press this

"No, you can't jus-"

"Sakurai-san," Sosuke held up a hand, his eyes steely. " _Not now_."

Mihoko knew when she was beaten. And from the steeliness, the thinner-than-usual line of his mouth and the stiff posture, this was one of times. _But, she thought, only for now._ She nodded, frustrated, and slunk away back to the computer that Sosuke had logged in for her, scanning documents, one after another, practically on autopilot. All the while, seething.

After a while, she paused, and pulled out her phone, preparing to vent to Iroha or to Kazumi-not about the specifics, never about the specifics- _they're just more of the half, after all-_ but just about how damn infuriating Sosuke was. How the more he was wrong, the more he seemed to think he was right. _I change my mind about the new role not going to his head,_ Mihoko declared forcefully to herself.

But before she could type anything, a new 'Shh!' message came up. An individual one. From Sosuke. _What the…?_

She tapped on the notification and read the message:

 _Sosuke Mori: The vast majority of those materials could easily be traced back to here. It would be reckless to reveal them_

 _Mihoko Sakurai: I'm not talking about the public, not just yet. But this sort of thing…the group should know. We already know The Parade happened, but to have the proof, that would really make a difference._

 _Sosuke Mori: Do you really think the rest of the group would want to keep this secret?_

 _Mihoko Sakurai: Well, they wouldn't reveal it straight away. We're already sitting on so much information._

 _Sosuke Mori: This is true, but I am concerned about the implications if it was readily traced back to here. Which it would be._

 _Sosuke Mori: And I do not just mean by reputation, either. But safety, too. You saw the lengths that have been gone to in order to keep the Parade secret, have you not?_

 _Sosuke Mori: And besides, reputation is important, is it not? If we are viewed suspiciously, our actions will be met with more scrutiny. That would not help any of us._

 _Mihoko Sakurai: But what if there was a way to make it seem like it could have been anyone?_

The words seemed to fly from her fingers, and Mihoko stared at the message in surprise. _Where the hell did that come from?_ She was not in the habit of being particularly rebellious. But she still had the images of terror on faces of people who had been just like her etched in her brain. She was still keeping them there.

 _Sosuke Mori: What does that mean?_

 _Mihoko Sakurai: Yes, the origin of the documents is clear. But if we could muddy the circumstances of how they might have got out, in a way that would mean it couldn't possibly have been your fault…_

Mihoko figured that Sosuke would be clever enough to figure out what that was meant to mean. Mostly because she wasn't rebellious enough to actually explicitly state her idea. On the other hand, if it was brought up in the group, she knew that certain people would jump on it, and run with it. That would be enough.

No reply came for a while, and Mihoko quickly decided it would be unproductive to stare at her phone, so she put it down, did some more scans, and waited. And then, finally, Sosuke replied.

 _Sosuke Mori: I will consider it._

Mihoko frowned, and glanced over at Sosuke himself. He had put the phone down, and was busily typing something, cool as a cucumber, as if a secret conversation had not been happening. Still, he had responded. Which was something. But she did not want him to slide into being complacent once again.

 _Mihoko Sakurai: Alright. But if you don't tell, in the end, I will._

Instead of looking at her phone this time, Mihoko stared at Sosuke, holding her breath as he picked up his phone, looked at it. He remained unreadable for a moment, but to her surprise, instead of typing, he looked up, and met her eyes. Mihoko narrowed hers, hoping to convey just how much she meant her words. Another long moment stretched as they stared at each other, the distance between them somehow seeming wider than before.

And then, finally, Sosuke nodded.

 **…**

Minah landed to the ground with a crash, and looked up at Kaneda, who, though catching his breath, was watching her carefully, waiting for her next move. Slowly, she nodded.

"Alright, I'll concede that victory to you." She said. "But remember, taekwondo doesn't use throws so much. Focus on using different stances in between the strikes and kicks so you can come at your opponent from different angles."

"Gotcha, sensei!" Kaneda said.

"Alright, how are you two doing?" Minah called over to Isamu and Manaka, who had also apparently finished sparring. She got up, and winced slightly, before shrugging it off.

"We're good!" Manaka said. "I think I'm getting the hang of back kicks, though not too sure about the reverse side ones."

"Alright, then, in that case, we'll have one more spar together, and you two can also go against each other, and then we'll wrap it up and call it a day. Next week I'll put you against some of the other members of the club and see how you do."

"Gotcha!" Manaka said cheerfully.

Kaneda went over to Isamu, and Manaka to Minah, and they all got into the ready stance.

"Alright…3, 2, 1…go!"

They sparred for a short while, and while Isamu and Kaneda's was a proper one, in the end Minah simply helped Manaka practise her kicks until it was time to wrap it up, and they all went to get changed.

 **…**

"Kang-sensei, you're bruised all over your arm!" Isamu exclaimed when Minah came out.

"I…oh yes, I am."

Minah had honestly forgotten about the pain in her arm. She looked down at it, already blooming purple in places, and flexed experimentally, wiggling her fingers.

"That must have been me!" Kaneda exclaimed, green eyes opening momentarily. "I'm so sorry!"

"You don't need to be," Minah said, looking up. "It's par the course, being injured while practising. Even in competitions, too."

"Oh, but even so, I do feel bad about hurting a friend and dear kouhai!" Kaneda said. "After all, we're all meant to be looking out for each other."

Minah tilted her head, sensing a different meaning. Of course, he could just have meant them as in the TEP group, but of course, she and Kaneda had an additional group allegiance beyond that. She chose simply to interpret it as the former.

"It's alright, really." She insisted. "It's just bruises, and I have encountered a lot worse. I'm sure you have, too."

Kaneda nodded at this, frowning slightly before Manaka came out-making his sunny smile return.

"So," Minah said. "Would you like to get lunch somewhere, on me? We all worked hard today."

"That's super-kind, but I've got to take my sister to kyudo practice!" Kaneda said, checking the time on his phone. "So I don't really have much time for lunch. Maybe another time, though?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Asai-san, Takigawa-san, what about you?"

"Yeah, I'm up for it!" Manaka said.

"I don't mind either." Isamu said. "Only, it'd be easier if maybe we bought something and ate it on the way to my house? Only, it'd be easier that way, in case there was a holdup at the restaurant or wherever…"

"Oh, yeah, you've got work, right?" Manaka asked him.

"Yes, that's right."

Minah nodded.

"Yes, that's fine," she said. "But it's still my treat though, alright?"

Both Isamu and Manaka nodded in assent, and they made their way out of the school building and to the gate. Since it was the holidays, and naturally not many students were around, they didn't encounter any trouble. Once at the gate, Kaneda bade them all farewell, and rushed in one direction, while Minah, Isamu and Manaka heading at a somewhat more leisurely pace down the other. They stopped in at a sushi place, and looked at their menus of take-out lunches.

"All of these seem rather expensive…" Isamu murmured, looking uncharacteristically concerned.

"They're not too bad, I think," Minah said. "I'd be able to buy any of these…well, perhaps not the very bottom ones. But don't worry, it is my treat."

Isamu bit his lip. For a moment, he fussed at a new whole that had appeared in his already very patched up jeans, but then he looked up and nodded.

"Alright, then…"

Once they'd all decided, Minah ordered, and paid while they waited. They chatted about taekwondo, and some general holiday plans-Manaka was apparently going on holiday somewhere in Europe for the later half of the summer, while Isamu was mostly working and doing things closer to home. Minah simply chose to tell them about how she was going to Korea for the last week to visit her guardian and friends back there, since she hadn't gone back the year before, and asides from that how she'd probably spend time with Leah, Mawa and Ai.

They continued the chatting as they walked to Isamu's house, which was near to the sushi place, and as a result it was not until they actually reached the house that Minah realised that this was a somewhat shabbier part of town, all the houses looking a little faded, a little run down. Isamu's was one-storey, and a window had been partially boarded over, though the garden was neat (if somewhat austere). As they trooped down the path, Minah noticed the name plate ( _ASAI FAMILY-Ichiro, Aya, Yumi, Isamu, Nao, Satsuki, Kirie and Mika)_ was chipped in a corner, some names faded over.

"I think my dad might be asleep…" Isamu said in a whisper. "Let me just-"

Isamu opened the door quietly, and motioned to Minah and Manaka to wait as he stepped inside, and disappeared into a room. A moment later, Isamu reappeared again, indicating with a hand gesture that they should come in, while using his other hand to make a 'shh' gesture.

"The meds?" Manaka asked, apparently more clued into Isamu's situation than Minah was.

"Mhm." Isamu said. "He'd feel bad for not being here to meet you."

"No, it's fine." Minah said. "Your father should focus on getting better."

Isamu gave her a serious look, and then nodded.

"That's what he's doing…"

He led them into the dining room, where there was a small kotatsu, and they all gathered around it, placing their bento boxes on it. Isamu went to the kitchen, and came out with a carton of juice and three plastic cups, which he also set down, before sitting down again. After giving thanks, they dug in, and made more small talk for a while. Minah noticed that while Manaka wolfed down her food, Isamu carefully divided each item of food in half and pushed it to aside.

"You not hungry?" Manaka asked.

"Saving it for later, possibly tomorrow's lunch." Isamu said, simply.

"Ah, you can have some of mine!"

"It's fine, it's a hefty portion anyway-I've never seen such a large bento box!"

"Asai-san, is there anything I can do to help?" Minah asked.

Both Isamu and Manaka turned to look at Minah with wide eyes.

"To….help?"

"Well, I don't know your exact circumstances, exactly, but you shouldn't be going without."

Isamu gave an awkward laugh, and shook his head.

"It's fine, really. I work, Mum and Yuki-Onee-san work full time, Nao has a part time job too. I'd work full time now, except Mum and Dad really want me to stay in school because Yumi-Onee-san...but anyway, I do get a full scholarship. And it'll be alright once Dad gets better. It will be."

Minah pursed her lips. _How did I not realise?_ She knew that Isamu was one of the poorer students in the Reserve Course, even before he'd been harassed over suspicions that he was receiving one of Azuki's scholarships. But with Isamu being an unusual, contradictory mixture of open and taciturn, she had never learnt the details. _I should have tried harder, though._

"Even with the scholarship though, it must be difficult."

"Yeah, well…" Isamu shrugged, pulling a face. "It's just life, isn't it? Though sometimes, I wish I'd just gone to a public high school instead. Some of the absolute bullshit-"

Isamu shook his head, cutting himself off.

"No, it doesn't matter." He said. "But, thanks for being worried."

"You're so nice, sempai!" Manaka gushed. "No wonder everyone loves you."

"Ah, it isn't…" Minah blushed slightly. "But for what it's worth, I do know people that are trying to make things less difficult in the Reserve Course. And I'm doing what I can do to, to not be a part of the problem."

 _Which is putting it mildly, I guess…_

"I know. It's cool, really. And it's gotta get better sometime, right?"

"Of course." Minah agreed.

And deep in her heart, she hoped this would be true.


	35. An Ordinary Day

**Wheeee this is finally updated. I realised also that I missed the one-year anniversary of this fic so, uh, sorry about that!**

* * *

As everyone else began to leave the conference room, Mizuki alternated between saying goodbye to them, answering the occasional question some of them had saved for the end, and beginning to save her files and log out of the various systems and apps on the computer, as well as the computer itself. As she did so, she held back a yawn. It hadn't been a long day as such-for one thing, the day was far from over, and for another, there had been times in her life when she'd had much longer days. But it was something different-Teranaga Trade was a world away from her philanthropic work, from her TEP and even the rest of everything that she was doing at Hope's Peak.

"Looks like everything is in order here, then." Oshino said, from where he'd been sitting discreetly throughout most of the proceedings.

"Mhm," Mizuki said absently. "I'm still going to do a walk around-I haven't been showing my face around here for long enough."

"Do you need me to come around with you?"

Mizuki considered this. She knew why Oshino had asked, but she wondered about the wisdom of it. It was not as if she was a random person-everyone knew who she was, even if only by name. They knew full well what her position was here, and how she'd got there. A good few would even have known her personally, since she was 13 and her father had started showing her the ropes-though, not everything. He'd expected to have so much more time to show her everything, but even so, he'd shown her a lot, and then when he and her mother hand gone, Oshino had helped fill in what she couldn't figure out herself. She was no longer as dependent on him, but still, he was valued. But still, here, Mizuki had no need to worry about her significance, whether she'd be listened to.

She'd made a point of carrying on as usual, as if nothing had fazed her after Sosuke had become the new Deputy at school, but in truth, it'd hurt. Especially as it'd seemed that the cards had been stacked against her, right from the beginning. Being in the Student Council in general was one thing, but it seemed that perhaps going up from that was a step too far for Hope's Peak. Perhaps she could have filled Sosuke's old role, but something had stopped her. Pride, most probably. That, and an unsettling realisation that she preferred being the defiant one, the clear harbinger of change rather than the one quietly, sneakily, manipulating the strings behind the scene. Prestige wasn't necessarily what she was aiming for, but in the end she wanted to leave something of herself behind when all this was said and done.

Having things this way, was in the end, so much better. But still, the disappointment had stung. So for all that she knew many here were fazed by being bossed around by a teenager (even if one only a couple of years away from coming of age), for all she sometimes wondered if her father's shoes were too big to fill, there was something so much easier about being here. And it, in a way, made her other goals so much easier.

"No, I think I should be alright from here. If I need you, Oshino-san, I'll call you."

"Are you sure?" Oshino asked. "You've been doing a lot today."

"I have, but it'll be fine." Mizuki thought about it for a moment, then nodded more firmly. "Yes, it will be fine. Besides, you have other things to do, don't you?"

Mizuki hoped that he hadn't noticed the slight catch in her voice when she'd said 'other things'. She was fairly sure that Oshino had no idea that she knew what she knew, but still, she didn't want to give herself away too quickly. _And also, if I am being honest, I don't want to know? In the grand scheme of things, it isn't even as bad as…._ Mizuki forced herself to not think about those things. She wasn't dealing with them at the moment.

"Oh, my own affairs aren't so overwhelming that I can't spare some time for you if you need it."

Oshino smiled jovially, his brown eyes twinkling in that avuncular way of his, and Mizuki internally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll be fine, but thank you."

"Alright, but make sure to take a break or something, allright?"

"I'm meeting up with Aki-sempai later."

"Oh, good."

Mizuki smiled, and then walked over to the door.

"Well, then, I'll see you out."

 **…**

Akira was already sitting at a table when Mizuki arrived. She was looking at her phone, but as if sensing Mizuki's arrival, looked up and gave a big smile. Mizuki's own steps hurried and when she got there, her smile was just as large.

"Aki-sempai! It's been so long! How have you been?"

Akira launched into a description of the work she had to do as part of her university course, and some funny descriptions of the antics her roommates in her dorm got up to.

"You'd probably like university, you know? A whole lot more grown-up than high school, in any case."

"Really?" Mizuki raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, even accounting for everything I just told you." Akira said. "There's a lot more freedom, though you have more responsibilities and all."

"Yes, I can imagine. Though, Hope's Peak isn't really like a typical high school, I think I have a lot of freedoms already."

"Well, you'd say that _now_ …"

"Yes, I know…" Mizuki sighed. "Though, you could make the argument that because the teachers slack off, that makes their students need to take more responsibility for their learning. It doesn't quite work like that, but I've been trying to change that."

"Oh, yeah. Of course you'd be still at your crusading now that you're in the Main Course." Akira laughed.

Mizuki nodded at that. _That is still something to consider,_ she thought, _I still have a lot more power than I used to have, and it's already making an impact. Still, there is so much further to go.,_

"So?" Akira asked. "Are you going to tell me about that, or what?"

"Of course!"

Mizuki looked around her, and then gave Akira a concise account of everything that had happened. Though she told Akira about the graveyard, and even showed her the footage Sho had procured, she held back about the rioting-not to mention the threats Azuki had received, or even Riko's suicide note. But most other things, she simply told her.

"Oh my god, what bastards!" Akira exclaimed when Mizuki told her about Sosuke and the struggle for the new Deputy role. "You would've been better in that role, for sure!"

"Thanks." Mizuki said, oddly pleased.

"You're not angry at it?" Akira said. "I'd have expected you to be."

"I am, but….I'm trying to channel it into the things I can change." Mizuki shrugged.

"Aww, my little firebrand kouhai is growing up."

Mizuki gave Akira a look, causing the older girl to cackle uproariously before asking if she wanted to eat anything. They both went up to the kiosk and looked at the menu, and each ordered a rather magnificent-at least according to the picture-ice cream sundae. Luckily, it looked just as good in reality, and when they carried them back to the table, a few moments were spent in silence as they tucked into them with relish.

"Goodness, I haven't really done anything like this in a while." Mizuki commented.

"Really?" Akira said. "You've been overworking yourself, haven't you?"

"Well, it has been a hectic year, so far."

"Yes, but even so." Akira said. "Don't go overboard."

"I know, Oshino-san told me the same thing."

"So, you actually going to listen then?"

Mizuki thought about this, but was distracted by the feeling there was a familiar presence nearby. Sure enough, when she looked over her shoulder, she saw Mokomichi walking on the street across the road from them. She thought of calling out, but then decided not to. But just as she was about to re-focus on an answer to give to Akira, Mokomichi seemed to sense the staring, and he turned, and their eyes met. He didn't nod, or wave, but instead backtracked to a crossing, and waited for the green light before crossing over and coming over to their table.

"What are you doing here?" Mokomichi asked.

"And good afternoon to you to. I'm spending time with an old friend," Mizuki said, indicating Akira. "Aki-sempai, this is Mokomichi Yamashita, Mokomichi, this is Akira Shibasaki."

"Oh, you went to our school?" Mokomichi asked Akira.

"Yeah. What year are you?"

"Same as the one she'd be in." Mokomichi pointed to Mizuki, before looking back at Akira curiously. "You're above us, right? I think I remember seeing you around."

"Yes, I was one year above. I'm in university now. I don't recognise you though. I take it you weren't friends with Mizuki before this."

"No, only now." Mokomichi said, simply.

Mizuki was torn between feeling oddly jealous of the scrutiny that Mokomichi was giving Akira- _I thought you only looked at me like that_ -and pleased that he had essentially confirmed they were friends. On both counts, she decided that she was being ridiculous and forced herself to put a lid on it.

"I see." Akira said.

"How come you're still around here?" Mizuki asked. "Shouldn't you be at home for the holidays?"

"My parents had emergency business trips of some sort," Mokomichi shrugged. "So I'm still in my flat. It doesn't make much of a difference to me. "

"Oh man, that's sad, that is." Akira commented.

"Like I said, doesn't make much of a difference to me."

"Well, if you say so. But hey, can I ask you something about Mizuki?" Akira asked.

"Sure…"

Mizuki gave them both a wary look, which they both ignored. Akira in particular seemed to have a manically please gleam in her eyes.

"Tell me, does Mizuki ever listen if you tell her to back off from something?"

Mokomichi raised an eyebrow and gave Mizuki a meaningful look as he answered.

"Well, sometimes. Unfortunately, I've come to learn that Teranaga is a force of nature."

Mizuki spluttered, but could not think of a reasonable response for this.

"Hah! I thought so!" Akira crowed, apparently pleased.

"You've had trouble too?"

"Excuse me, trouble?"

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Mizuki went unheard as Mokomichi and Akira continued to talk of her so-called stubbornness. Though she had to admit that they had a point. But still. Mizuki did her best not to blush through it, when suddenly, Mokomichi turned to her.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing, though."

"Oh?" Akira said, eyebrows raised.

"Everything would be the same, otherwise." Mokomichi said nonchalantly. "And that wouldn't be a good thing."

"Ehh, I guess I see your point, she does make things more interesting. That's why I'm friends with her!"

"Um…was that a compliment, or not?"

"Take it how you like." Akira said cheerily.

"Both." Mokomichi answered at the same time, almost deadpan.

Mizuki stared at them in utter confusion, and then laughed. Akira grinned at her and Mokomichi simply smiled and shrugged.

"Well, I have grocery shopping to do. Nice meeting you."

"Yeah, same." Akira said.

"And I'll see you later." Mokomichi said.

"Mhm," Mizuki nodded. "Bye for now, Mokomichi."

"My, aren't you being social today?" Akira commented once Mokomichi had gone.

It took Mizuki a moment to get her meaning, but once she did, she shook her head.

"Later in the holidays, not later today. I have more things to do after I'm finished here."

"Holy crap." Akira rolled her eyes. "Do you ever take a break?"

"I'm here now, aren't I?"

"True, true."

Then, suddenly, Akira leaned forward and grinned expectantly. Mizuki blinked, unsure what she seemed so pleased about.

"You didn't tell me about him."

"I'm sure I did? He is one of my TEPs?"

"Hun, you called him by his first name."

"Did I? That was a slip of the tongue. Usually I just address him as Yamashita-kun."

"Oh," Akira actually looked mildly disappointed for a moment, before perking up. "Still, for you that's pretty close, too."

"Um…"

Mizuki's mind scrambled, and she thought back on the brief conversation and realised she had done as Akira claimed. Twice. _How did I not even notice that? We're not at the stage to be using first names so casually!_ Then again, she was sure Mokomichi would have bought it up in some way if he'd noticed it and not liked it, so probably it slipped his attention.

 _Or maybe he didn't mind….?_

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Tell you what?"

Akira simply shook her head, still looking pleased.

"I'll be waiting when you are ready though." Akira said, her smile softening slightly.

Mizuki simply shook her head and shrugged. The weirdness really felt like it was coming from all angles. Thankfully, though, Akira didn't press it, and changed the subject by launching into yet another story of university-life antics.

 **…**

It was not often that Azuki just got to sit back and do nothing in particular. Indeed, it'd been a long time since he'd had a quiet day, with only household chores and the question of what video or comic to occupy his time with to bother him. And since Hana had family obligations today, it had been a truly quiet day, the quietest of this very quiet week.

 _It won't be quiet for much longer though_ , he thought grimly as he looked at his phone. For one thing, there was a match that Hope's Peak wanted him to film, then he had to attend a Summer Festival in Fumiyo form too. And then there were the meetings for the group...

With a sigh, he tapped on the Shh! chat, hoping that whatever was causing the chat to make his phone tremble like a demented bee wasn't anything to do with yet another injustice. After the graffiti for the new part of the Reserve Course building, his and Mizuki's desks being graffitied over, various harassment incidents (including some more sexual ones, as well as some of the students receiving his scholarship being targeted as suspected 'traitors'), the Student Council debacle and Mokomichi and Mihoko's class nearly failing their end-of-terms because their teacher had taken slacking to whole new levels, the end of the term had been a mess. A mad mess. There had been a spate of assaults of varying types and some more general intimidation during the actual holidays too, a result of some TEP meetings occurring in school.

Sure enough, it was an assault-a mild one, but perpetrated against Shino, who had been sneaking around. Still, that didn't nearly justify the bruises around their throat and upper arms that they'd photographed and sent.

 _Shino: The 'principals' saw it, but apart from mild scolding they didn't do much._

 _Shino: Sure they asked me if I was okay and Naegi got me a drink, but yeah. The reputation of that Main Courser was more important than me._

 _Shino: They practically BEGGED me to not 'ruin his future'._

 _Mihoko: Is it a coincidence that they use that phrasing to try and deflect rape accusations?_

 _Shino: I doubt it._

 _Minah Kang: I can't believe that the Principals of all people would do such things._

 _Kaneda-sempai: Kouhai, if you want to log the incident with the police, then you can always have a chat with my Mum or Dad? Unfortunately they wouldn't be able to push an investigation, as Hope's Peak were hard on them for the riots, but they'd still be willing to make the record._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: That's a good idea, but please make sure to stay safe._

 _Shino: Naaaaaah, I'm good. I can just use this as blackmail material._

 _Azuki: how chipper of you_

 _Azuki: though just for the record that is incredibly fucked up. Are you okay or…_

 _Shino: Well, I mean it hurts, and I can't really speak much, but I should be okay for the meeting and that's honestly the worst_

 _Keiko Usui: You should get medical attention, Hisakawa-chan._

 _Azuki: uhhh, I technically agree, but also no_

 _Minah Kang: Have things really got to a point where the safe thing to do is to not get medical attention?_

 _Kaneda-sempai: Apparently._

 _Mihoko: Honestly sometimes I feel like the longer we go on, the worse things get._

 _Same,_ Azuki thought, sighing and closing his eyes for a moment. How were things like this still happening? He had been trying so hard to do the right thing, they all had really. And yet things like this kept happening.

 _Mizuki Teranaga: It does sometimes feel like we go backwards for every step forward that we make. But we can't give up at this._

 _Azuki: really_

 _Mihoko: Really now?_

 _Keiko Usui: I can understand that feeling, but I'm sure it will be okay._

 _Azuki: yeah no forgive me if I don't believe that that easily_

 _Azuki: like we may as well be protesting against a brick wall_

 _Shino: then we should smash it down_

 _Kumori Kurogane: But we are dealing with people, not walls._

 _Shino: Ohhh, you sweet summer child._

 _Kumori Kurogane: My birthday is in February._

 _Shino: Thank you for proving me correct_

 _Azuki: so how exactly would we smash down this wall then? Killing them?_

 _Mihoko: Probably_

 _Shino: Oh hey, that's an idea!_

 _Mizuki Teranaga:…_

 _Kaneda-sempai: that would be the most logical conclusion, if we're talking about the smashing walls analogy, except of course that murder is illegal_

 _Mihoko: Murder is illegal though_

 _Mihoko: Oh never mind._

 _Sho: hes a genius!_

 _Sho: also damn shino, u okay there?_

 _Shino: Yes I am fine, and yes he is a genius_

 _Minah Kang: Violence is never the answer._

 _Sho: even though you're a martial arts master ?!_

 _Minah Kang: Taekwondo is not about violence though. It is about discipline, and self defense._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Nobody is going to murder anyone, alright?_

 _Azuki: well duh?_

 _Azuki: it was meant to be sarcasm_

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Good. I won't hear any more of killing._

Azuki let out a breath. He was honestly just being sarcastic. He hadn't expected anyone to agree with him. Though, hopefully, they were also being sarcastic. It was hard to tell over text.

 _Still, I could understand why we might say that, in this fit of anger. Everything has been so frustrating, and hopeless. But still, it's not the answer. Murder, killing, all of it, it's not the answer._

"Azuki! Could you come and help with dinner please?"

"Sure, down in a bit!"

A little too eagerly, Azuki locked his phone and flung it to the bed, and got himself up to go to the kitchen. Hopefully, the chat would just get lost in a sea of more chat, and that'd be the last of it. Then he could at least enjoy the rest of his quiet days.

Because no matter what, he knew it'd be a really long time before he ever got any more, ever again.

 **…**

"Alright, so what do you think you need to do with this question?" Keiko asked Tarou.

Tarou frowned at the questions from his summer maths homework, and considered it for a moment, before picking up his pencil and writing a couple of numbers.

"This?" he asked, almost anxiously.

"That's right, and then?"

Tarou continued, making a good attempt, but tripping up at the last part of the question. Keiko made sure to praise him, and then she went through the next one with him, before making sure to let him try the one after that. They'd been solidly working through about half of his homework assignments that afternoon, and the only one left was the big project-Keiko had already thought of a few kid-friendly scientific projects that she remembered enjoying back in her childhood, when there had seemed to be more possibility. Once Tarou seemed to get the gist, she glanced at the time. _Goodness, is it that time already?_

"Well, then, I'll leave you to finish up the questions, alright?" Keiko said, getting up. "I'll have to start on dinner."

"May I help?"

Even though Tarou was not given to joking, Keiko did think for a minute that he was. But no, he was looking at her earnestly, chewing his pencil earnestly. This was the first time he'd asked. The only time any sibling had asked her. She still remembered a time when her mother would gather her and her brothers into the kitchen, but it had felt hazy and distant, a scene from some other universe.

"How about you finish that homework first, then come down?" she said, lightly. "And don't chew that pencil, Tarou."

"Sorry." Tarou stopped promptly, looking shame-faced, almost panicked.

Keiko smiled at him, patted his head briefly, and left.

 **…**

It was not exactly an comfortable old rhythm she'd fallen into back here, but it was an old rhythm all the same. As she pottered around the kitchen, doing everything she needed to do to make sure that there would be a meal on the table for her and her three brothers (and hopefully, her father too), she did not have to think too much, too deeply. She supposed it was a blessing, in a way, that it was like that. If it wasn't like that, it'd feel just a little too much like hard work.

 _Yet, you can't deny…_ Keiko shook her head rapidly, trying to get rid of the thoughts. There was no sense in thinking like that, not here. She'd be seeing the others soon enough, and then school would start again, and just for a little while, she'd have a place where for at least little snatches of time, she was something _more_. Something more than all this. But until then, she was here, and she would let obligation, love and old habits pull her through.

After a little while, Tarou came down with his exercise book, which Keiko quickly cast her eye over before deeming that Tarou was free to help her (of course, she didn't need the help, but the look on his face made it worth it) and the two pottered around. Though Tarou wasn't one to babble, with some coaxing he started to talk to her about things he liked and was interested in. He left a lot of mess, but she just quietly cleaned it and made sure to heap praise on him for what he was doing right.

"Woah, looks like you're having a blast of a time here!"

Kiku sauntered in, looking around.

"Do you want to help?" Tarou asked quietly.

Kiku pulled all manner of faces before shrugging heavily.

"I mean, I just came down because Nii-san sent a text. He's staying late with Dad. So he won't be home."

"I see."

Keiko looked over to the dining room table and the five chairs around it. _I should have expected that, huh?_ Then, she turned back to her brothers and pasted a big, motherly smile on her face.

"Well then, Kiku, you're going to have to help now, aren't you?"

 **…**

Keiko waited another few minutes, just to be absolutely sure that they were all asleep, and then she crept out, taking extra care with every single step to make sure she didn't come down too heavy and make a noise, holding her breath at even the slightest sound. But soon she was down the stairs, and in the small room-though it was more a cupboard than anything-that housed the family shrine.

Just about squeezing in, and closing the door behind her, she considered sitting down, but didn't think there'd be room, so she remained standing, and gazed at the photograph of her mother. _What would you think of all this, if you could see?_ There was no need for Keiko to tell her-if her mother could see, she'd know it all. In her mind, the dead earned a certain omniscience, and her mother wouldn't be any different. _How would you feel?_

In truth, Keiko was not too sure how she felt. She was sure that Azuki's comment had been little more than throwaway sarcasm-he was inclined towards such comments. And people said things they didn't mean all the time when they were helpless? Had she not felt helpless seeing and hearing about all these things happening-somehow, seeing the bruises on one of 'her own' was that much more distressing, especially as Shino had rejected her offer for her to travel up there and check on them.

And what were they supposed to do? Ridiculous as it was, this venting about such a significant thing, it was at least doing something. But she could imagine that if they did, that, too, would be doing _something_. Not that she necessarily would want to-Minah, of course, was right. Violence was not the answer, not really. But yet, they were in danger. If it was killed or be killed, she could understand it, and forgive it. And until then, it was just what it was. Nothing to be scared about.

 _Right, mum?_

Her mother's photo looked out, and did not answer, but it was not as if Keiko had been expecting an answer. Of course she hadn't been. But still…

Keiko sighed, and rubbed her head. Even if she was scared, she still would not have left them. In the first place, they still needed looking after. They were all so…so spikily vulnerable, even the strong seeming ones like Mizuki and Minah, wonderful, wonderful Minah. Even if there was not much else she could do, she could look after them. _But that's the thing, isn't it? It is possible I could do more. So much more. And I might never get a chance to do anything like this again, once I leave._

 _This…this is my last chance._

Keiko took a breath, closed her eyes, and made a promise to her mother. A promise that she would not back out, or back down. That she would make the most of the time she had left in Hope's Peak by being there for all of them.

And as she eased herself back upstairs, and back to bed, she sincerely hoped that her mother was able to see and hear that promise.


	36. All Fun and Games

"So, if I recall, the things that we needed to discuss first…"

Mizuki flicked through her notes, and then changed her mind. From what she could tell, most of the things she'd thought of were recaps of issues they had covered before, and would no doubt come back to.

"Actually, let's turn it over to you all. Has anything happened we need to address?"

"I'm still working on the counter-documentary stuff. I've got the photographs of the graffiti and stuff you sent me-" here, Azuki gestured to Mihoko before continuing. "But I have to do my other videos as well…not least the 'positive' Hope's Peak videos."

"That's fine, of course. Let us know if you get threatened, of course."

"Well, duh."

"Speaking of the graffiti," Minah spoke up. "I'm sure a lot of you know this-Usui-sempai and Yorokobi-san in particular do, but with my club we started a sort of group to help clean any vandalism. Though it seems like whoever was doing it has started to give up now. Still, we're on standby."

Keiko and Yuna promptly nodded earnestly at this.

"Yes, yes, I heard about that. And I have noticed. Thankfully, the principals have agreed to put up extra security cameras in the new areas, and anything else that gets built. Especially if it is going to be a part of the West Building."

"But what about us? The people?" Emiko asked. "Nothing much is happening about that, is it? They're still getting away with it…"

"Some of my classmates have actually transferred schools because of this, and a couple more are thinking of doing so. " Kumori burst out, as if to expand on this.

"Yes, on a chat we're on, I saw some others talking about the same thing." Mokomichi added.

Hana and Kaneda also confirmed that they had heard bits and pieces of gossip and conversation that confirmed similar occurrences. Minah also pointed out the scholarship students-whichever scholarship it was they happened to be receiving-were particularly likely to be targets.

"Well now," Sosuke said. "That is something the Student Council can do. Such information should not be being leaked to the student body at large. Teranaga-san, we should make that a priority to investigate once school reopens again."

"Yes, you are right about that." Mizuki said. "I can possibly get a headstart on that."

Sosuke nodded, apparently satisfied.

"Speaking of leaked information…" Mihoko spoke up suddenly, staring meaningfully at Sosuke.

There was a brief flicker of surprise on Sosuke's face, but it rapidly smoothed out, and he readjusted his glasses before sighing deeply.

"Sakurai-san."

"You did promise." Mihoko said, stifling a yawn, though that didn't offset the sudden intensity in her brown eyes. "Remember?"

"Yes."

"I even printed some of it off…for convenience. Also because I am not going to pass my phone around-no offence."

"Umm, what are you two even talking about?" Azuki asked.

"Yes," Mizuki asked. "Does this has some relevance."

"Yes, it does."

Again, Mihoko stared meaningfully at Sosuke who, after a moment, sighed and shook his head, seeming to capitulate. He took his phone out from a blazer pocket, speaking as he did so.

"The other day during a TEP session, we came across some decisive evidence that a claim that Hisakawa-san was making is true."

"Huh, what, me?" Shino said, startling.

"Yes, you. " Mihoko said, rolling her eyes. "The Parade?"

"You found evidence? Where?" Shino's eyes widened, and they leant forward eagerly, looking straight at Mihoko. "Where?"

"Ask him." Mihoko said, pointing at Sosuke.

"At my workplace. Well, technically, it is the workplace of my father, but I, too, work there." Sosuke answered immediately, though he did readjust his glasses once again. "I have scans on my phone."

"You didn't take them while you could?" Emiko asked. "Why?"

"Why'd you think?" Mihoko asked.

"That would have been stealing!" Yuna exclaimed.

"Oh, right…" Emiko laughed. "But still, evidence! That's wild! Do you have copies, at least?"

"…"

Sosuke passed around his phone, while Mihoko handed out the printed copies she had apparently made. It was these sheets that made their way to Mizuki first, and she carefully looked through them.

" _That…is a dark chapter of Hope's Peak's history. Nobody is meant to know of it."_

And it seemed that in some ways, that had been an understatement. The technical legal terms on paper did little justice to what they actually meant for real people and real lives, such as those depicted in the photographs. _But wasn't that more reason it was revealed?_ It would be too little, too late for so many. But for others, it would be some form of repatriation.

"We need to reveal this. Not now, not straightaway-and not necessarily in a counter-documentary. But we need to keep this information safe, with the eventual goal of revealing it. " Mizuki said decisively as she handed the sheets back to Mihoko.

"Yes, it does seem horrible that this happened and none of us had any idea."

"Well, some of us did." Sosuke said. "I'd quite like to know how Hisakawa-san learnt of it, for instance."

"That's for me to know and you to wonder about." Came the unsurprisingly un-helpful response.

"I agree that people should know about it though. Especially after what happened before." Minah said. "Surely if people had known, it could have been prevented?"

"Exactly." Mizuki said.

"So, what do you suggest we do, Teranaga-sama?" Kumori asked. "Won't they try to get rid of the evidence if we leak the copies, or whatever it is you are suggesting?"

Mizuki thought about this for a moment. But to her surprise, Sosuke spoke up.

"What we need…" he began, sounding somewhat more cautious than usual. "Is to own the original documents ourselves. The trouble, of course, is getting them out without it easily being traced back to us. There is a particular risk, considering my family connection and the fact I am in the TEP programme."

"Oh, that's easy!" Shino said cheerfully. "We can engineer a break-in."

Their eyes gleamed and didn't seemed perturbed when everyone stared at them. Even Sho and Emiko, their usual partners in crime, seemed surprised.

"Do you mean you are going to steal them?" Yuna asked, looking up from where she was dutifully taking the notes for the day's discussion.

"Of course." Shino said.

"But that's…"

"You guys can help me plan it out, we can handle that, no worries!"

"Are you sure? Shouldn't you lie low a little?" Azuki said.

"Naaaaah," Shino said dismissively. "Firstly, this ain't school. Secondly, Mori's basically given us the a-ok. Thirdly, you think I want to let them win?"

"Yeah, exactly!" Emiko crowed. "I'm all in too. Are you?"

This question was directed at Sho, who grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

"Of course I am!"

"Whatever, it's your own funeral." Azuki muttered.

"You're not going to let them do that?" Yuna asked tremulously.

Mizuki considered this a moment. It was reckless, surely, to recommend that they engineer a break in and steal what must have been important documents at one point (clearly, from the way they had been stored, they were no longer deemed so). But she'd more or less condoned Shino's sneaking around, and she was starting to think more dramatic things needed to be done in order to get anywhere. She would just have to make sure that it didn't backfire.

"Sometimes you need to do the wrong things for the right reasons, so yes. Please, however, exercise appropriate caution. "

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what I am doing."

"Yes, I know." Mizuki sighed. That would have to do for now. "So, let's consider that matter closed for now, and consider the other things, such as the map-you remember we bought that up last meeting."

"I've been thinking about that, actually," Keiko said, before she covered her mouth. "Oh, sorry!"

"No, no, go on." Mizuki encouraged.

"Yes, well…isn't there a Cartographer in one of the 99 classes?" Keiko asked. "And I heard they've been putting something about the maps of the school and its layout over the years for the ongoing Centenary celebrations. Perhaps we could make use of that."

"Hmmm."

"I don't want them here, though."

This came from Emiko, who had suddenly gone from grinning with Shino and Sho to suddenly sitting up straight, eyes wide and cautious.

"Why is that?"

Unusually for Emiko, she simply stared. Mizuki sighed, baffled.

"Oh, I think I get it!" Minah exclaimed. Mizuki turned to her in confusion as the copper-haired girl got up and went over to sit by Emiko.

"Don't worry," she soothed. "I don't think it will come to that."

"I…oh, right." Realisation dawned for Mizuki. "I was thinking more we could make it a Student Council thing."

"Yes, President Nomura and I are taking an interest in the mapping project," Sosuke confirmed. "I can certainly persuade them to let you in too. I confess to not fully understanding why we would need a map."

"Honestly, it is more of an additional thing, but it will be a useful resource to have."

"Yeah, especially for sneaking around!" Sho crowed.

"…I was thinking more for the purposes of corroborating things such as The Parade, but yes." Mizuki said.

They continued to debate the purpose of the map for a while, and eventually decided that it would be a project to start when school started up once again. They then moved on to batting around other ideas, including the possibility of campaigning to get the statue project reinstated-or at least getting some sort of commemorative sculpture. Quite a few of them felt quite strongly it should not be of the principals, and Mizuki had felt inclined to agree about that. There was also the repainting of some Reserve Course classrooms, which miraculously some other Main Course students (including and led by Taki) were also going to help with in the last week before school started again.

"Is this really enough, though?" Mihoko asked quietly in the next conversational lull. "Is it really going to be?"

It was enough to make said lull stretch out into a proper silence. They all looked at each other, and then to Mizuki, who felt the weight of those gazes all too much. _Enough, huh? That is what I am always asking myself._ She tried to compose a suitable response, and then Mokomichi nonchalantly piped up, breaking the silence.

"I mean, it would be quite a blow to Hope's Peak's reputation if –or perhaps I should say when-the stuff about The Parade came out."

He half-yawned and stretched, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he caught Mizuki's gaze, and held it evenly as her own eyes widened for a moment, in surprise. Then, just like that, he looked away. Mizuki shook off the weird feeling that gave her.

"It's still better than doing nothing though, isn't that what you always say, Teranaga-san?" Minah asked, softly, apparently also scrutinising Mizuki carefully.

Mizuki nodded, relieved that she didn't need to think. But just as she was about to talk, Sosuke spoke up:

"In all truth, I think you could just put everything else on pause."

"Why?" Mizuki asked, instantly.

"Well, it is a bit like the boy who cried wolf, is it not?"

"Woah, what? Are you telling me that Teranaga's lying?" Shino snapped immediately. "Because if she is, then tell me where these came from?"

Shino pointed at their throat. The bruises were starting to fade away, but they were still there. There was still evidence that somebody had put their hands around Shino's throat, and that they'd thought they'd get away with it. The room was silent as Shino glared defiantly at them all, head tipped back, glint in their eye daring anyone to tell them that they were lying.

"Well, of course not. But all in all, I think at times we have been making mountains of molehills, no?" Sosuke asked.

"No," Mizuki said. "We have not. "

"Not everybody sees the same problems that you do. Indeed, some of your problems are not even problems, and it is prone to alienating people. Why, exactly, do you think you weren't selected?"

Mizuki stared at Sosuke, who simply stared back, taking a sip of water as if he'd said something perfectly innocuous.

"That….that wasn't nice." Hana piped up after a moment.

"No, yeah, that was unkind, Mori-kun." Keiko agreed earnestly. "I understand your reasoning, somewhat, though I do still support Teranaga-chan's approach on the whole. But that was mean."

"It is not unkind to state the truth." Sosuke responded.

"That's true." Kaneda said. "Honesty is usually the best policy, after all."

 _True, but I'm not standing here calling you wilfully ignorant now, am I?_ Though she supposed that by now, that sentiment had leaked out more than once. But even so, Sosuke's words stung, even if she stood by her original stance.

"But you weren't just 'stating the truth', were you?"

"Ooooh, _burn_!" Sho said.

Naturally, he was ignored.

"And what of it?"

"You were the one supporting a break in to your law firm, are you not a little hypocritical right now?"

"It isn't mine yet."

"Okay, and?"

Mokomichi was impassive as he said this, resolutely looking only at Sosuke. Apparently now lost for words, Sosuke simply looked back, blinking a couple of times. Kumori half-got up, as if ready to say something himself, but something flitted over his face and he sat back down, though he seemed coiled and ready to pounce at any moment. Shino and Sho looked like they were itching for drama, but the silence continued. Eventually, Mizuki decided that she needed to end this.

"If you want to leave, you are welcome to," Mizuki said after a moment. "There is no use you being here if you're not willing to see."

"Ooooh, even _bigger_ burn."

Once again, Sho was ignored.

"No," Sosuke shook his head. "I will not be leaving."

"Well then, you need to understand that I'm trying to change things, and that necessitates upheaval."

"Oh, I understand."

Mizuki took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she felt someone looking at her, and turned towards Mokomichi. Sure enough, it was him, and once he saw that she'd noticed, he nodded slightly once.

"Well then, what else do we need?"

"Um…."

Hana put her hand up cautiously. Mizuki gestured to her to continue. Hana blushed, tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear, and reached into her bag to pull out a slim folder.

"I wasn't sure if we really were going to go for a mascot, but I decided to design a few and see what happened. So…"

Hana took about four or five sheets out of the folder, and spread them out. Almost immediately, the mood in the room dissipated, the group crowded around. Mizuki came and sat down too. There was a bear, a rabbit, two different cat designs and a dog. Mizuki felt herself drawn to one of the cats at first-a sleek black thing with glowing eyes, sitting elegantly, akin to an Ancient Egyptian cat statue. Shino, Emiko, Kaneda and Sho all loudly favoured the other cat, which was softer and white, resembling Greg somewhat. The others seemed equally divided between the remaining three. Mizuki frowned at them all, and then looked to the bear, which had caught her attention before the sleek cat.

"Pass that a moment." She asked to Kumori, who was examining it.

"It looks a bit like the Hope's Peak logo." He told her as he obliged.

"Oh?" Mizuki looked at it. "How so?"

"That eye for one thing."

Mizuki considered it. The thunderbolt shape did remind her a little of it, as did the black and white design-two quarters black, two white.

"I was trying for that, in some of the designs. Like the rabbit's crown and the wings on the dog. And the fact they're all black and white." Hana said, smiling faintly.

"Ohh, that's clever." Keiko exclaimed. "Well done, Otsuki-chan!"

"They are all very nice designs." Kumori acknowledged. "Though, perhaps the bear should have one solid half black, and one white, rather than like a chess-board."

"And like, just have one of his eyes be the thunderbolt thing-why the heck does Hope's Peak have a thunderbolt in its' logo anyway?" Emiko asked, looking incredulous as the thought hit her.

"I have no idea," Mizuki said. "But yes, the bear has possibilities. If not, then I'd go for the black cat."

"Oooh yes, it looks pretty menacing, right?" Shino agreed.

"Why would we want menacing?" Yuna asked with some concern.

"To show them we mean buisness, of course!" Shino said.

"That," Kumori added. "And they should be scared of us."

This earnt alarmed looks from Yuna, Hana and Keiko.

"They're scared of losing their elitism, of course they're gonna be scared of us." Mihoko snarked, swiftly warding off any potential worry.

There was more back and forth as the black cat and the bear were compared for their relative merits. Though some had attachment to the other three, in the end they were deemed to be less powerful than the two 'main' ones-though, Mizuki had to hand it to Hana, the designs were of very high quality. Eventually, though, they decided on the bear, with some revisions to be made to the design before it was finalised.

"Do you want this?" Hana asked unexpectedly as she put her designs away.

"Huh?"

Hana held out the black cat design.

"I…well, I noticed you liked it. So…"

Mizuki blinked, taken aback for a moment, before she smiled and inclined her head.

"I would indeed. Thank you."

Hana carefully handed it over, and Mizuki got up to put the drawing in one of her own folders.

"But anyway, circling back to our question of what else we co-"

"Weeeeeell now, the answer is obvious if so inclined, right?" Kaneda said, for some reason still lying flat on his stomach.

"Is it?" Mizuki asked.

"Yes, like dear Sawada-kouhai suggested."

"What?" Azuki spluttered. A moment later though, he face-palmed.

"For the _gazillionth_ time, I was fucking joking! Besides," he waved a hand at Shino. "You were the one talking about our text chats in deep detail."

"Who remembers random throwaway comments in chats anyway?" Mihoko muttered to nobody in particular.

"If they were outrageous or funny." Mokomichi answered her anyway.

"Well, it was certainly outrageous." Azuki said. "Seriously, who just thinks 'oh, the solution to my problem is to just kill people?"

"Who said anything about people?" Yuna asked suddenly.

"I somehow don't think we're talking about trees though." Mokomichi snarked.

"No, no, but like, in tarot?" Yuna said. "The Death Card doesn't always mean actual death, it just means that something is ending. And when things end, something else starts."

"You believe in tarot?" Minah asked, curiously.

"No, but-"

"Let me guess, you read a lot?" Shino asked, before cackling uproariously.

"Y-yes."

"Weeelllll, we could be metaphorical, or we could be literal." Kaneda grinned.

"I'd say literal is what Hope's Peak deserves." Kumori interjected suddenly. "They already have blood on their hands."

There was a silence for a moment, before Mokomichi eventually nodded.

"That is true."

"And you might think I'm just talking about Riko-kun, but I'm not! Look at Hisakawa-sama, look at everyone caught up in the riots, look…look!" Kumori continued, warming to his theme. "You think Hope's Peak deserves to live?"

"Well, if we're talking about closure, then I can see where you are coming from. Or even some very strict reforms…" Minah mused. "But violence isn't the answer."

"But we need something to make them sit up and notice, right, or at least shake them up properly. " Emiko said.

"Ohh, I agree," Sho said. "It'd be kinda cool to see the school rattled a bit."

"I think the school would be more than rattled if you were killing." Azuki pointed out.

"Ooof, but we could sorta just beat them up a little, right?" Sho said.

"You sound waaaay too glib about that, kouhai." Kaneda said, suddenly serious. "It's no laughing matter."

"Says you." Azuki pointed out.

"Well, yes, but if we are seriously considering scaring Hope's Peak, we have to be sensible about it." Kaneda responded earnestly.

And so it went on, for a little while. For the most part, the conversation stayed stuck in this one particular circle, but the more it went on, the more it seemed to heat up the others. Even Sosuke seemed intrigued, though being Sosuke, he made arguments for and against without ever really being clear as to which one he agreed with. It was strangely compelling, the fierceness the ideas gained the more they were batted around. Mizuki felt as if she should say something; stop them right in their tracks.

But, for whatever reason, she didn't. Instead, she held back, waited. Watched the intensity deepen. Even worse, there was a small part of her that wanted to nod along. _I want to shake them up-_ yes, she had felt something like that, too. Enough to keep her watching, and waiting.

"Okay, but let's say we're going to give someone a shock, then how would we do it? Exactly? And who with?" Kaneda asked. "We cannot just kill or hurt indiscriminately."

"We shouldn't be doing so at all." Minah said.

"Says the person who is literally a taekwondo master." Shino snorted derisively.

"Well, yes, but-"

"In all fairness, I understand that taekwondo is meant to be a sport, and if it does need to be used outside of that, it should be self-defence, right?" Keiko asked.

"Yes, that's right," Minah said. "It goes against all the tenets of taekw-"

"Okay, okay, but you don't think this is a self-defence situation?" Shino asked challengingly.

When Minah had no answer, Shino simply shook their head and smirked.

"But if we're going back to who we should go against-I say either aim right to the top, or to the heart."

 _The top, or the heart, huh?_ The images that Mihoko had shared flashed through Mizuki's head, as did memories of the riots. Of the moment her faith in the principals had started to slip. Everything.

"I certainly would like to do something to the principals." Azuki muttered darkly, as if for a moment.

"Well, that would certainly be the top." Sho said. "But what would be the heart?"

"Well." Shino looked unexpectedly sheepish. "That, I don't know."

"Then why'd you say it?" Mihoko asked.

"Hmm…."

They all looked at each other for a moment, expressions solemn. _Stop this_ , Mizuki thought. _Stop this now._

"The heart…." Minah mused. "Surely, Hisakawa-san, you must have some idea?"

"Nope, just thought it had some gravitas to it."

"Us."

Everyone stared at Hana, who apparently seemed as surprised that she'd spoken up as everyone else did.

"What…what do you mean?" Mizuki asked, finally compelled to speak, if only because she had a sinking feeling that she _knew_.

Hana turned to look at her, blue eyes wide, a little fearful. But even so, she was even-voiced when she spoke, her hand was steady when she lifted it as if to point:

"We're the heart of the school, right? Or rather, you are. You, and you, and you…"

Hana slowly pointed to Mizuki, Minah, Sosuke, Keiko, Yuna, Sho and Azuki in turn, before turning her unusually steady gaze to Mizuki once again.

"You're the purpose of the school, right? If you weren't around, there would be no Hope's Peak as it is."

"So, to aim for the heart would mean…" Minah said, comprehension clearly dawning for her too.

"Of course!" Shino said, grinning. "Of course."

Once again, the atmosphere of the room changed. It seemed to crackle, as the revelation shifted something in all their minds. Mizuki didn't know what that shift was, or what it would mean, but she realised that she couldn't know. That she needed to stop this.

 _I want to shake them up, but surely I don't want to do it like this._

"Alright, that's enough!"

The sharpness of her voice startled her, too. But it did the trick, as they all looked at her, vaguely surprised.

"Hey, we were just getting started." Sho protested. "We were onto something."

"I think we're all getting tired," Mizuki quickly went on before anyone else could protest. "We've discussed a lot today and I think emotions are running high. Let's leave it here."

 **…**

Coming back out of the panic room and into Shino's living room felt a little bit like coming back up from underground, seeing light for the first time. Or after a very long time. The words that had been said down there reverberated in her mind, and they repulsed her.

 _But then, why did I not nip it in the bud straight away?_ If she was to look closely at herself, she'd probably find that answer. But she did not want to, didn't want to believe that of herself. In the end, she supposed she was just hoping that it was just some sort of way of letting out steam, that at best, they were being metaphorical and dramatic about the possibility that Hope's Peak would close. Still, she was sure if it could get worse, it probably would. After all, she'd seen it with her own eyes, both directly and the aftermath. Maybe there would come a time when the conversation would have a ring of literal truth to it.

Hopefully though, it won't.

Mizuki hung back as she watched her friends- _yes, friends, more or less_ -laugh and joke. Shino made an airy comment about people helping themselves to whatever they wanted in their kitchen, which prompted Keiko to instantly offer to go and pull some snacks and drinks together, in turn sparking offers of help from Yuna and Hana. Shino went to pull out some board and card games from a cupboard while she and Emiko went to set up a console with the TV, and most of the others fell upon these games.

"No way, you've never played Cards against Humanity?" Sho exclaimed after Kumori held up one card game with a questioning look on his face. "Maaaan you are in for a ride, we are so playing it!"

"Oh, erm, if you want to."

Sho also roped Mokomichi, Mihoko and Sosuke into playing, though the latter looked as if he thought the whole thing distasteful. Mihoko seemed as unimpressed by this as she had apparently seemed about anything to do with him the entire day. Meanwhile, Shino, Emiko, Azuki, Kaneda and Minah were preparing to play some edition of _Just Dance_ or some similar game. The voices of Keiko, Yuna and Hana-though mainly the former two-drifted in from the kitchen area. It all sounded so ordinary.

As if they had not just been discussing death.

"Teranaga."

Mizuki startled, and looked over to see that Mokomichi was staring at her. _Of course_.

"Yeah?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't betray her.

"Come join us."

"Yeah, you come too!" Sho said, grinning.

Mizuki considered. _Change, transformation, something ending._ That was the card, as Yuna had mentioned it, meant really. She, too, had read a lot (and that, too, was a running gag-but that was beside the point). _What was changing now? Or has it already changed?_ In irritation, Mizuki ran a hand through her hair. There was little sense in trying to ask herself this-she could not predict the future, any more than the others could. All they could do was prepare, and work through each day. In the meantime, she'd just have to wait and hope.

So she nodded, and went over to join them.


	37. ED Song 2-DAYBREAK FRONTLINE (arrange)

**The day has finally come that I can reveal this to you! Please enjoy!**

* * *

The scene shows an empty grey room that has beanbags in the corner, apparently being filmed-there is a timer ticking by the seconds at the bottom left hand corner of the screen, while there is a red circle and the word 'RECORDING' on the right corner. At the top, there is an indicator of the battery. As the music begins, the camera shifts slightly as Shino's face suddenly looms into view, looking thoughtful as they adjust the camera, before then adjusting their beret, grinning, and stepping back. They walk to an area in the room, and as the music picks up, they appear to be experimenting with dance moves before breaking out into dance, just as the rap begins.

 _DAYBREAK FRONTLINE  
kakaekon de iku fuan to ai  
nemure nai yoru o koete iku tame ni  
tomoshibi ni naru kimi kara no sakebi  
kaze ga kirisaite itta kanjou  
tonari ni kimi ga ireba ando  
boku to kimi to mirai no san ko  
sore dake wo shinji susumu sanpo HA_

DAYBREAK FRONTLINE  
taking in all anxiety and love.  
Your voice that becomes the beacon to  
light the way through the sleepless night.  
The wind slices through my emotions,  
reassured by your presence at my side  
The future, you and I,  
the only three I believe in as I continue my way, HA!

The scene cuts suddenly, and though it is the same room and the new scene is being filmed by the same camera, Shino is now joined by Minah, Kaneda and Emiko, in that order, and the scene alternates between the four of them dancing, and momentary solos from each of them, starting with Shino and finishing with Emiko, who gives a big wink to the camera as her solo finishes with a flourish, and the main song begins.

 _'nemure nai n da'  
kaze mo naku udari sou na yoru ni  
kimi no koe ga mimimoto  
de yurai da kanshou  
ni hitatte bakka nani mo  
kawara nai warae nai hibi wo  
nuke dasou ze kimi wo tsuretobidashi ta_

"I can't sleep."  
your wavering voice whispered,  
on a windless, sweltering night.  
Let's escape  
from these same old,  
joyless days,  
where we keep reminiscing the past.  
So I thought as I took you with me and rushed out.

The scene then changes, and Shino is seen dragging Azuki and Hana into view while Minah dances on the other side while Kaneda and Sho watch. While Shino is then haggling with Azuki and Hana, Minah stops and Kaneda and Sho have a go, only for Sho to fall over, making everyone stop and stare at him. Shino and Kaneda laugh, but Sho laughs even harder, and though Hana hesitantly starts to go over to him, as if to help him, he gets up with little issue, and walks out of view, grabbing Azuki on the way –something which the Social Media star seems very grateful for. Emiko then walks in and goes to dance with Shino, while the others watch-Hana taps her feet and claps along, and Minah attempts some of the leg motions herself, but for the most part, they are just watching.

 _kaze ga toori sugita  
yami to mazariatta  
kimi no warai koe ga  
chiisaku ai no sora ni hibiite_

The wind blew past us  
and blended into the darkness.  
Your laughter  
faintly reverberated throughout the indigo sky.

The next scene shows Mihoko, Sosuke, Yuna and Keiko having a go at some of the dance moves. Sosuke's movements seem stilted and unsure(clearly having no idea what he is meant to do with his hand), and he struggles with putting his feet in the right place, and eventually shakes his head at whoever is holding the camera and goes to sit in a corner. Keiko, though at least more expressive, also struggles, and Yuna, though technically adept, is stiff and awkward, her face gradually getting redder. In the end, Keiko goes off screen and takes Yuna with her, and only Mihoko is left. She seems to be both technically adept and expressive, but after a twirl she realises that she is alone in her dancing and stops. She puts her hands on her hips and says something in annoyance to whoever is behind the camera.

The scene then cuts again to show Shino and Emiko encouraging Mizuki, Kumori and Mokomichi to dance, which they all seem good at, though Kumori and Mokomichi both seem a tad more confident than Mizuki. Kumori even goes so far as to tip an imaginary hat towards the viewer with a wry grin as an extra little flourish, something which Emiko greets very enthusiastically, grinning at Shino and gesturing to the people off camera. They make the three repeat that section again, and while Mokomichi also tries the extra little flourish, Mizuki appears a little too self-conscious to really pull it off.

 _sonnan de ikite iken no ka  
mou modore nai ze nante  
yuragi sou na omoi ha akuseru he  
kono mama chiheisen oikoshite yarunda_

"Can we survive like that?"  
"There's no going back, you know?"  
Let's just leave those hesitations aside  
and step on the gas pedal.  
We're gonna keep on moving  
until we've outdistanced the horizon.

The next scene change shows Shino, Kaneda, Minah and Emiko dancing while Sho, Mihoko, Kumori and Mizuki all sit at the edges of the room, clapping along and watching. Kumori gets up a couple of times to suggest moves to them, and Keiko comes in and out of view a couple of times with drinks and snacks, which the main dancers stop to take occasionally. Azuki assists her a few times, but clearly very reluctantly. Sho also gets up and attempts to dance, but simply flails about, to the extent that Mihoko gets up and drags him back to sit down-at exactly the same time that Emiko goes to shove him away. They all wobble but somehow manage to avoid falling, but Emiko simply goes back to dancing with a smile and her usual glamorous hair-toss.

 _( saizensen tobase boku tachi ha  
hoshi mo nai yoru tada  
higashi o mezashi te iku  
juu san byou saki mo waka n naku tatte  
seiippai boku wo ikite iku  
nani mo koukai nante nai sa mae wo muke  
tomara nai sa kitto  
hikari no matsu hou he )_

We'll fly to the frontline of the starless sky,  
heading for the east the only thing on our minds.  
Even without knowing the future 13 seconds after,  
I'll just live myself to the fullest.  
There's no regret.  
Just look before us.  
We ain't stopping.  
We're definitely heading in the direction where the light is waiting.

Another scene change, and Shino, Minah, Emiko and Kaneda are dancing along with Mihoko, Mokomichi and Kumori. Apart from some of them occasionally sneaking a glance at their fellow dancers to check their moves, and both Kumori and Kaneda stumbling slightly at a couple of points, and Mokomichi flings the hoodie he had been wearing away and somewhere off screen, the dance is fairly uninterrupted.

 _saizensen tobase boku tachi ha  
shiramidashi ta hoshizora  
mune wo narashi te iru  
nemura nai you agaru myūjikku to  
nuruku natta mizu dake motte iku  
muda na mono ha nani  
mo nai sa mae wo muke  
sono hou ga kitto waraeru sa tte_

 _saizensen tobase boku tachi ha  
noboru taiyou sono  
hikari o mezashi te iku  
shiawase tte ima ha waka n naku tatte  
seiippai boku wo ikite iku  
nani mo koukai nante nai sa mae wo muke  
owara nai sa isshou bokura ha ikite yuke_

We'll fly to the very frontlines of the starless night,  
our excitement building at the gradual light  
To keep ourselves from falling asleep,  
Raising the music volume to discourage sleep  
We'll just bring some lukewarm water  
and nothing else of excess  
Just look before us.  
I'm sure there'll be more things to enjoy that way.

We'll fly to the very frontlines of the starless night  
We're heading toward the light  
of the rising sun.  
Even if we don't know what "happiness" is right now,  
We'll just live life to the fullest.  
There's no regret.  
Just look before us.  
It ain't gonna end.  
We've gotta live out the rest of our lives

With the start of the main chorus, Shino, Minah, Kaneda and Emiko are back to being the only ones dancing as well as the only ones on screen. Their movements are fluid and nobody hesitates, stumbles or has to look to the others to check their steps-they just dance energetically, with smiles on their faces.

 _gozen yon jihan sari yuku yami ga  
kobu suru toke ki koe zankyou  
kanshou takaburidasu kanjou  
ginen to no saishuu sensou  
mikansei na bokura shinkuronaizu  
fuantei na umi ni hadaka de daibu  
mukankei na mono mo dasu ākaibu  
Hisenron kankaku seinen no taiku_

The retreating darkness at 4am  
Encouraging the lasting echoes of my voice  
Exciting emotions,  
final battle with doubt  
Our unfinished selves will synchronise.  
Dive naked into the sea  
Archive with unrelated stuff as well,  
the physique of the anti-war youth

As the last rap begins, Minah is on the right hand side of the screen, and she does the first solo part of that point of the dance. Emiko, the third on the right, does the next one, before Shino as the one between the two girls does her solo, before Kaneda does his and they all resume dancing. Mihoko and Kumori also walk in and join the dance seamlessly.

When the vocals end, for the final moments of the music, the others start to walk on and join in with the dance, forming a row behind the star six dancers. The only exceptions to this are Azuki (who is presumably filming), Keiko, Sosuke and Sho. The latter does initially try to walk on, but Shino interrupts their dancing to push Sho back out of view, before the song ends.

The video lasts for a few moments after the music has ended. The characters whoop and cheer, and the scene jolts as Azuki puts the camera down, and the view changes to show him joining the others as they grin and laugh, and as some wipe themselves down and take drinks offered by Keiko. Suddenly, though, Sho grabs Azuki's camera, and despite the latter protesting, Sho opens up the camera and beckons everyone around. Azuki eventually gives in as everyone (with varying degrees of eagerness) gather around for a group selfie. The view changes again to show them through the viewfinder as they squeeze in and give smiles to the camera, and then there is a bright flash, and the final scene change shows the resulting photograph. This happy photograph is lingered on for a few moments before the video finally ends.


	38. Flower Fire

Kumori regarded himself in the mirror, looking this way and that. As preposterous as it was for someone like him-fully Japanese and born and raised in the country on top of it-he'd never worn traditional clothes before. No, it had always been a suit, or school uniform, or things along those lines. Not a neat, charcoal black yukata with rough stripes in different dark-grey shades, held in with a sash of dark purple. If it wasn't for the fact that he'd kept his hair the way he always did, and that his face looked like it always had, he wouldn't have believed that the person in the mirror was him.

"Really, you should have a new hair ribbon."

Kumori turned to look at Hoshiko whom, sitting at the desk, could not be seen in the reflection. Technically, she wasn't supposed to be there, but her and their other sisters had struck a deal-if they didn't tell their mother when she went to see Kumori, she wouldn't tell when they snuck off to see their bad-news boyfriends. It probably was not the healthiest way of managing life, but it worked. And it meant that Kumori got to see Hoshiko more often.

"I like this hair ribbon though." He said. "You gave it to me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but it sort of takes the edge of your debonair-ness, it's falling apart. And you wanna look your best for your girl, right?"

"S-she isn't my girl." Kumori protested.

"Yeeeah, but if you play your cards right, she might be."

Kumori blushed hotly at this, and Hoshiko just laughed and laughed, which didn't help matters. But soon, she calmed down, and once she did, she looked at Kumori properly.

"I mean, on a serious note, if she isn't completely bowled over by your suaveness I am seriously going to question her taste. Like, there is no better catch than my brother and I will fight anyone who says otherwise."

"Thanks, Hoshiko."

"No probs. Now, are you going to get a move on?"

"Yeah…."

Kumori nodded, but though he stepped away from the mirror, he did not make a real move. He wasn't sure what was stopping him.

"Kumori, look at me."

Kumori obliged.

"I know exactly what you are thinking and-honestly, stop. You deserve to be happy, especially after what this year has thrown at you already."

 _Do I? Do I really?_

"Not that I'm gonna convince you that easily, I can see. But hey, at least give yourself a break. Besides, you can't back up now. Yorokobi-san is probably looking forward to this, as much as you are-and I know you are."

That was enough to snap Kumori out of it, at least for a moment. He could hardly let Yuna down, that would have been incredibly rude, and he certainly didn't want her to be upset. She didn't deserve that, because this year so far had been hard for her, too. And all things considered, he could see it getting harder, especially if they _were_ going to take more drastic measures. Which, frankly, after Riko, he hoped they would. _Yet at the same time…._ he sighed, shaking his head and earning another concerned look from Hoshiko.

"Kumori?"

"It's alright, Hoshiko-Onee-sama." He said. "Let me just get my things."

 **…**

Kumori arrived about twenty minutes early, but managed to persuade Hoshiko that it was fine for her to leave. She was starting to look a little tired and he didn't want her to stretch herself too much. But of course, that didn't leave him much to do, so he took out his phone and opened up 'Shh!'

 _Kaneda-sempai: So, anyone hitting up any festivals tonight?_

 _Emiko ;): Sadly I have a dreary family party to go too. Sooooo boring_

 _Shino: Yeah, I'm hanging out at one with some theatre buddies._

 _Flower: I'm going to one with…a friend._

 _Shino: Oooooh, a friend!_

 _Flower: Hi-Hisakawa-san…!_

 _Emiko ;): Ooooh are you blushing?_

 _Emiko;): But seriously, enjoy yourself, you deserve it!_

 _Mihoko: Yes, you do._

 _Flower: T-thanks_

 _Keiko Usui: I'm taking my two younger brothers._

 _Kaneda-sempai: And I'm escorting my lovely little sister!_

 _Minah Kang: That's nice. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again when the new term starts._

 _Sho: yeah saaaaaame. this summer's been too quiet apart from this meeting_

 _Shino: Well don't you worry, things are sure to get more eventful_

 _Shino: It is Hope's Peak, after all_

 _Minah Kang: I hope that nothing will happen though, but I know that's probably unrealistic. Still, at least we can help._

 _Keiko Usui: Yes, it isn't all hopeless._

 _Shino: =D_

Kumori thought of tapping out a reply of his own, but then he heard the words 'Hope's Peak' being spoken and he looked up to see a bunch of girls a similar age to him and wearing casual clothes milling around, possibly waiting for someone the way he was, and chatting.

"Yeah I heard their fireworks were like, amazing! Man I would have liked to see those."

"I know right! Hope's Peak always does super-cool stuff, I wished I could go there-even on the Reserve Course, then at least I'd get a glimpse of the cool."

"Don't they treat them really badly?"

"What, no, I thought that was just rumours?"

"No, no, my cousin's friend's somebody is on the Reserve Course and apparently one day she…."

A flurry of people walking and chatting obscured whatever this girl was about to say, but by the time that crowd had passed, the group were still talking.

"Yeah, well, I don't believe any of it!"

"It does sound fishy to me but oh well. It's not like we know, is it? I just think the place is a cool one to be-much better than our school, right! Oh, she's here!"

Kumori watched as another girl joined them, and the group squealed and hugged before talking about something else and walking away. If it wasn't for the fact it would have been improper to just randomly approach them, Kumori would have been tempted to tell them that actually, Hope's Peak wasn't a good school. It wasn't 'cool' or whatever it was that they thought. It was a school that hurt and even killed.

 _Still, the truth will come out, eventually, if we have anything to do with it._ He had made that promise to Riko at her grave, after all, that she would be the last. He wasn't going to sit and let Hope's Peak continue as it was, and he would have forged on alone, but he was glad, at least, that he didn't have to. That there were others who thought like him, even if they were a little hesitant at the possibility of taking extreme action. Which, honestly, he could understand. But he also knew that they understood his views, too. And that inevitably, they were all on the same side.

Kumori closed his eyes for a moment, and took a breath, and when he opened them, he saw that Yuna was coming up to him. Her hair was twisted into a bun, held into place with floral hair-pins, and her yukata was resplendent-a vivid jewel-like purple with flowers in different shades of pink, a pale pink obi tied with lilac. She looked nervous, but when she spotted him she smiled and her pace quickened.

"Kurogane-kun." She greeted him. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"No, not at all," he said smoothly, putting his phone away. "You look good tonight, Yorokobi-sama."

"Ah…erm…"

Yuna blushed, and fiddled with her little clutch bag before eventually stuttering out a thanks, and her blush eventually faded and she smiled.

"So then," Kumori said. "Where do you want to go first?"

"Hmmm…."

 **…**

"So, Emiko-sama, how have you been enjoying your first term at Hope's Peak?"

Emiko regarded the dreary, smartly-dressed old man who was just another of her father's many, many grovelling associates-wealthy men in their own rights but somehow cowed by the Shishikane name (which made them ridiculous, in her eyes)-and made an effort to try and dredge his name out from her memory. Unfortunately, it didn't come, so she just plastered her best smile on, using it to full effect as she took a sip from her champagne glass and pretended to think.

"Oh, it's been absolutely wonderful. Lots of interesting people to meet and so forth. I'm sure you know how it is."

"Oh, yes, yes, so many industrious and prominent youths in amongst the Main Course classes. Quite a few of them are from good families themselves, though I don't see any of them here tonight."

"I might have met the students, but I'm afraid I don't know any of their parents yet." Emiko said bashfully. "There's just been so many people to meet, you know, I can't waste my time with every single one of them."

This last thing she said in a slightly louder voice, hoping that some of the words would reach through the social-gathering noise and aim for her father, who was very carefully scrutinising their interactions. Probably to make sure that she was still behaving as befitted her status. Or possibly with a view to securing a marriage match. _Ughhhh._ The thought made her shudder for so many reasons, but she reflected it could have been worse. Most likely, it was that this man had sons (or more likely, considering how decrepit he looked, grandsons) who would be eligible. And even her father would not be so backwards as to marry off a girl child before she'd finished her schooling.

"No, no, naturally. You can't get ahead in life if you don't mix with the right people. And you and your family are most certainly in that category-speaking of which, I must go now, there is someone I need to speak to. I do hope I see you soon, Emiko-sama."

"Ohh, likewise." Emiko fluttered her eyelashes.

Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to pull a face into her drink discreetly once he'd gone, for almost as soon as he had, her father approached.

"It looks like you have managed to charm him."

"Oh, I was just being polite." Emiko said airily.

Her father narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, and Emiko took a breath, waiting. Eventually, he made a grunt which she presumed was approving.

"I suppose your strategy of charming does have its benefits." He said. "Takigawa has grandsons in their final year of high school. Fraternal twins."

"Oh? Have we met them before?" Emiko asked, trying to ignore her thoughts of: _Well, charming has its drawbacks, too. Not that you'd know_.

"Possibly, when you were a baby." He said dismissively. "But anyway, that isn't something we need to worry about for a while."

Emiko just smiled and waited.

"But anyway, when you do go back to school, do make sure that you're making the right connections. Like the Otsuki girl and the Mori boy. And Teranaga."

"I have been interacting with them frequently, I'm sure that won't change."

"Good, good. As it happens, the Mori boy would be a good match for you, if it came to it. But even if not, you never know when we need someone more adept at the law to do our bidding." Her father continued.

 _Ewww, stuffy Mori._ Emiko stifled a giggle at the moniker that Mihoko had shared with her and Shino and Hana. Oh, how she wished that they'd been here with at least one of them, it would have made things so much easier. But not even Hana's family was here. Even being able to show off her fancy new midnight-blue dress hadn't been enough of a consolation prize.

"If you make yourself known, we'll hopefully be able to find you a Talent of some sort. And you know what that would do for our status."

"Yes, I do." Emiko said, bored by this exchange already. "Don't worry, I'm trying."

"Well, you need to keep trying. And you can continue trying by actually networking with the guests, like you managed to do with Takigawa."

"Of course."

Emiko diligently trotted off and milled amongst the guests, flashing smiles and uttering greetings until another came and made more small talk, and they parted ways, and she repeated the process. It was occasionally broken up by her either topping up her drink or grabbing some nibbles. Because of course nibbles were all that there was. It made Emiko want to scream, but of course, she didn't. Not least because it'd completely blow her cover. It'd be easier for her to escape this life if right up until that time, everyone believed she was truly a part of it.

Which meant enduring pretentious Shishikane gatherings until she could get back to school.

 _And there,_ she thought while nodding along to another dreary old rich-man's rambling, _I will be making so much more than connections. And none of these people have a clue._ It was almost hilarious, how much this group, with their money and connections and various different family names, all revered Hope's Peak, which really was just a drop in the ocean. But clearly it was a big enough drop to infect said ocean. She was fairly sure that analogy butchered a whole lot of metaphors, but that wasn't really her problem. No, her problem was how she would be helping to shake up everything.

 _And that won't be a problem at all._

So, Emiko continued to smile, and continued milling.

 **…**

After they'd finished watching the dancing on the community stage, they wandered around looking at the different amusement booths. For a little while, they didn't say anything, and Yuna was able to simply enjoy being here with Kumori. She'd missed their TEP sessions over the course of the holidays, but of course, it was more than that, really.

"Do you want to play any of these?" Kumori asked. "It's my treat."

 _Aaa, what a gentleman_ , Yuna thought, trying not to blush. She looked around her, seeing all the different games that she'd play when, as a child, she visited the festival either with her older brothers or girls from the church. It was very different, being with Kumori who was…well, what, exactly? She knew what she ultimately hoped for.

"I…erm…."

She looked around her, and then decided that maybe they could leave the games for later.

"How about we get something to eat?" she asked, tentatively.

"Of course, Yorokobi-sama. What would you like?"

"Something sweet, I think?"

"I just saw the perfect place, I am sure that you will love it." Kumori said decisively, and started to advance when he paused suddenly, surveying the milling crowds.

"Erm…." He fidgeted, blushing slightly. "I don't suppose you would like to hold my hand…just because I wouldn't like to get separated from you?" he asked.

This time, Yuna blushed. To hold his hand, when they were not even….the thought was ever so forward, possibly even improper. Yet, there had been so many romances that had started in similar ways, also in festivals. And this was almost practically a date anyway. Besides, it was Kumori, who had always been never anything less than a gentleman, and one who sometimes seemed as baffled at the world as she was, as opposed to someone who was trying to be a popular and perfect ladies man. But of course, she wasn't going to think of that slimy ex, her first and mistaken foray into romance. He didn't deserve the brain power.

Even putting that aside, hand-holding was connection. And connection was understanding, which she so badly wanted. So she tried to fight the blush, softly thanked him, and took his hand.

For what it was worth, Kumori seemed a little abashed by the gesture himself, but all the same he confidently gripped her hand, and turned and led her to the stall decorated in pretty pastel colours, which held a delicious looking assortment of sweets, including colourful cups of mixed sweets and various lollies and fruit caramels. There were also chocolate bananas on sticks. She took her time in looking at it all and deciding upon what she wanted, and while she did, she quietly took in Kumori, the profile of him, how regal and resolved he looked (traditional clothes seemed to suit him more than suits, she thought) even despite the weight that he held.

" _And you might think I'm just talking about Riko-kun, but I'm not! Look at Hisakawa-sama, look at everyone caught up in the riots, look…look!" Kumori continued, impassionate. "You think Hope's Peak deserves to live?"_

Over the course of the evening so far, they had not talked about Hope's Peak at all, which was strange, but Yuna had been relieved. She had not wanted to see the slightly crazed, bright look in Kumori's eyes that she had seen there during that meeting. She knew that he grieved deeply, and she hated that she had ever, ever been jealous of Riko (even if she had sinned in her death). She, too, would be furious to lose a loved one like that. But that…what he had been talking about, what they had all been talking about. It had to be some sort of joke, some sort of _something_ that she did not understand about people these days. Because if she had understood right, well, that was such a horrific thing to do. A sin, even worse than suicide, really.

"What about one of those cups, they look rather…fun."

Yuna startled, and looked at Kumori, who was smiling slightly at her, with a slight undercurrent of bashfulness. Certainly not like someone who would really want to hurt anyone. No, it had to be the grief talking. It had to be _all_ their grief and pain talking.

"They do, don't they?" she said. "I think your choice is a sound one."

Kumori was so clearly pleased by this, it warmed her heart, and she watched as he confidently paid the vendor, and then handed her one of the cups, and then once again, Kumori took her hand, and they started walking through the crowds, until they turned a corner and those crowds thinned. Then, carefully, he let go of her hand.

"No, it's alright." She found herself saying.

"I…I'm sorry?"

"I, you know, my hands. I don't mind if you wanted to keep holding on. I know I can trust you to not be inappropriate. And besides, it was….quite nice."

 _Oh my goodness, that was so forward!_ Yuna could not believe that she had just said that. She knew Kumori wasn't bought up in the same traditions as she was, but surely he would disapprove, what with his relatively similar values. Surely he would.

Yuna held her breath for a moment as Kumori blinked and took this in, but after a moment, he nodded, and held his hand out once again.

"If you wish to do so, then I cannot refuse."

Yuna beamed, sunnily, and laced her fingers with his. Only loosely, for she didn't want to be too improper. But all the same, she held on, and they kept on walking.

 **…**

"Do you think that goldfish get traumatised by fireworks?" Kumori asked with some concern.

"No," Yuna said, after thinking about it, studying the little goldfish that she had won and insisted on gifting to Kumori. "I shouldn't think so."

"Oh, that's good, isn't it, Ruth?" he asked, addressing the goldfish by the name that Yuna had come up with.

The fish swirled around in the little bag, seeming pleased. Kumori smiled at it, and then looked around them. They had come up a little hill that was far away from the walkways and viewing areas that most of the other festival-goers were trying to flock to, not wanting to be obscured by too many crowds when the fireworks started. There was something thrilling, almost daring about the seclusion, but from this vantage point, she could see people around her, and there were not even any trees to hide them. There was nothing for her to worry about, in terms of propriety, but all the same, there was a sense of romance in the air from being here.

"I'm sorry I do not have a jacket or something to lay down on the ground, or we could have sat on that." Kumori said absently.

"No, I think it will be fine." Yuna replied.

"Are you sure, Yorokobi-sama?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh, good. We have been walking rather a lot, have we not?"

"It has been great fun though-thank you so much for coming with me." Yuna said warmly.

She smoothed down her yukata, then sat down, arranging her own goodies-a teddy-bear and a heart-shaped cushion that Kumori had won for her, both put into a see-through carrier bag-beside her. Kumori hesitated a moment, and then sat down beside her, clearly taking care to make sure that the distance was appropriate. The bag containing Ruth the goldfish was placed carefully in his lap, and he curved his hands around it protectively. The tenderness of the gesture touched her.

"I am glad that you have been able to enjoy yourself with me, Yorokobi-sama. In truth, I was really hoping that you would, that you would not think me…inadequate."

"Kurogane-kun, you are far from inadequate. Why would you think that?"

"I…." Kumori sighed, looking down at Ruth. "I have failed people before. People that I care about, in different capacities."

"What she did was not your fault, you know." Yuna said, trying to fight the sudden, irrational panic. "She chose to do that. I know she was in a lot of pain, I know she was under pressure, but…"

"Yes, but if it wasn't for Hope's Peak, she would never have got to the point she had chosen that. Never."

 _But she had you. She had you, and yet she still…._

"I know." Yuna didn't, but she didn't want Kumori to get upset again. Did not want to see the look in his eyes. "I know. But all the same, it was not your fault. You tried so hard. I've seen it with my own two eyes, and with God as my witness I would swear that you did everything you could to try and help her."

 _And I sinned, by resenting something which was so truly good to do._

"It's not just that though, is it?" Kumori said, sighing. "There were the riots, too."

"But you were trying to do the right thing, weren't you? And you weren't the one pushing for violence. You do not have a violent bone in your body."

 _At least, that was what I thought…_

"I feel like some of my bones might become violent, if things keep going." Kumori said, grimly.

" _You think Hope's Peak deserves to live?"_

She was not seeing that same light in his eyes in the here and now, yet in her mind it was so clear, it may as well have been. She tried to push it away, and to focus on the Kumori she saw in front of her. Remorseful, compassionate, refined, beautiful. _That_ was Kumori. Everything else was the grief talking. She knew it. And so, she had to be the sort of friend that could help him out of it, to see the light and make the right choices.

 _To say nothing of making it up to Izumi-san by fulfilling her request._

"But you care, and you are trying. It is not your fault that things are not going as you intended them. But good does prevail over evil, and you are truly good. More than adequate, in my eyes, Kurogane-kun."

"I…you are truly a special person, Yorokobi-sama." Kumori said, after a moment. "Your opinion truly means a lot to me."

Yuna blushed just a little at that, and opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly the night sky was filled with flower-bursts of colour, soon followed by a cacophony of explosions. Transfixed, she looked to the sky, and simply watched for a few moments. For a moment, the swirling feelings that had been brought up were quelled as she simply enjoyed the beauty of the view. But then, Kumori spoke again.

"I….Yorokobi-sama, I have two confessions to make?"

Yuna gave him a sideways glance, and then turned more fully towards him, startling when her knee touched him slightly. She scrambled backwards slightly, then returned to sitting demurely and in a composed manner.

"Go on."

"Well…the first is, I am scared. I know you believe in me, but all the same. I am scared of what might happen. "

"Kurogane-kun…."

 _In truth, I am, too._

"What's the second?" she asked briskly after the pause had gone on for too long.

Kumori did not immediately answer. He swallowed, and his hands-still carefully cradling Ruth-trembled. He looked down, and looked up.

"I think I am starting to fall for you, Yorokobi-sama."

Yuna gasped, feeling her eyes widen. She put a fluttering hand on her heart, as she tried to take stock of what he had just said. _Falling for me. Falling for ME! This is…._ Never in her life had she thought she would be so lucky as to receive a confession under the fireworks. And from someone like Kumori….well, that was beyond her wildest dreams. She knew that this time, it would be something that would last, that would mean she'd have the life she had always dreamed of.

"I…well, I happen to also be developing, erm, romantic feelings for you too…" Yuna managed to stutter out. "I…well…"

"You feel the same, basically?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then, would you like to…."

 _Why, exactly, am I hesitating?_ Yuna was overjoyed, ecstatic. There weren't exactly wedding bells ringing in her head, but the future that the two of them would have stretched out long and glorious in front of her. _But…._

 _But…._

 _No. No, you know it will be fine. You know it._

 _Besides,_ she reasoned to herself eventually, when she realised she needed to say something, _in this position, I am much better to support him. After all, in true romances, people help each other through everything, and to become better versions of themselves._

"I would," _Yes, I would. I would._ "But of course, as I always say, things must be conducted appropriately. "

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything differently, Yorokobi-sama."

 _It will be fine. I know it will be._

 **…**

 _Onnaji dake yume o miteru koukatsusa ni_

 _Chigau kotoba o ima tada machi tsuzukete iru_

Long after the fireworks had finished, Mokomichi sat in his windowsill seat, listening to music, looking out of the window. He wondered if Mizuki had actually gone out to see the fireworks, maybe with that friend of hers he'd met the other day. It might have been nice to go with her, a bit like how it had been to watch the fireworks at the party. But on his own, watching them from the window had been perfectly adequate.

 _I wonder, what will the next term bring?_ Of course, there had been the plans that Mizuki had gone through with them, the neat summary lifted off of their meeting minutes and sent around. But the real game-changer, the thing that couldn't really be broken down into a to-do list with strategies and contingencies and whatever the hell else, that was what he really wanted to know about. Mizuki had shut such talk down pretty quickly-and there was a part of him that understood. Yet…

…Yet, at the same time, ever since that conversation (or maybe even before that, come to think of it, for hadn't he started thinking of it even when the idea had just been confined to chat groups?) he had found himself dwelling more and more of that day.

That day, when he'd spotted Shouta Takahata practically sniffing around for a Reserve Course student to pick on, and quietly hiding himself away, only to put another student in the crossfire. That day, when he'd watched Main Course student chase Reserve Course student, and others drift away so as to not get caught up. That day, when Shouta Takahata tripped over a rock, and hit his head on another one, falling at a funny angle so that his leg was almost certainly broken, while his oblivious victim ran on. That day, when, after a moment of disbelief, Mokomichi himself had walked away.

 _Kawari no kiku kandou o yakimashi no doramachikku o, anata e, anata e…._

He had mostly pushed it to the back of his mind-after all, in order to survive; he had to keep his head down. Keep his head down, and keep going. That was all there was to it. But just as Mizuki had made him rethink everything else in his life, he had found himself rethinking this. And for all the different justifications that he had come up with, in the end it came down to two things:

First, that there was a part of him that felt bad.

Second, that there was a part of him that _didn't_.

Especially not now. The question of whether to aim for the top or aim for the heart-ideally, if it was up to him, he'd go for both. Maybe not to the extent of death, not one like Shouta Takahata's (even if he HAD deserved it). But still. Something, _anything._

 _Douka, motto motto kiratte saigen nanka ubatte_

 _Shoudou nanka mou dou natte mo ii_

"But, she wouldn't want that, would she?"

No, Mizuki wouldn't. He knew that even as he asked that question aloud to himself. He couldn't imagine her so easily bending to such an idea. The fact she'd been struck speechless during the conversation was proof of that. But then again, who would have imagined that he'd actually care about her now, when the year had started? Things could change, people could change. Perhaps one day her line of thinking would run across the same tracks as his own was right now.

 _But,_ Mokomichi thought to himself as he finally decided to leave the windowsill and go to bed, _do I actually want that? Or do I not?_

 _I guess I will just have to wait and see._


	39. Developments

**Surprise! It's a double update! This is what happens when you get lucky enough to borrow a family friend's laptop while at their house and dying of boredom because the only person you can talk to went for a nap, and you end up bashing out an entire chapter during that time. Of course, I wasn't going to upload there, hence me waiting for today.**

 **So, anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Keiko woke up, and for a moment she wasn't sure where she was. Blinking rapidly, trying to shake sleep from her eyes, she sat up, and looked around. When she was awake enough to finally take in her dorm room, she breathed a sigh of relief.

 _I'm back._

She took a look at the time-not even 5 in the morning-and briefly considered going to a lab. It was rare that anyone booked one this early in the morning, so she'd more than likely get lucky. But the yearning in her gut that was mixing with the relaxation of relief was tugging her towards something different. Keiko sighed, hesitating, before getting up completely, and starting to get ready for the day, the way she would have if it was a more reasonable time of the morning to begin the day. Once she was done, she made sure she had her phone, Electro-ID and the key to the roof, and set off.

As she padded up as quietly as possible, some of her relief leached away, and different thoughts filled her head. She could not help thinking back to the last meeting, and the words that had been exchanged. She was sure all of them were. They were such…radical things. Never in all her life as a dutiful eldest daughter would she have ever, ever imagined that one day she'd be a part of such a conversation. And on some level it horrified her.

She didn't want to think about how it felt on other levels. Because surely that would make her a bad person. Surely.

 _And I'm not…I'm not…._

Getting to the door, she looked around cautiously (despite knowing nobody had followed her) before opening the door, and stepping out onto the roof again, all too ready to breathe a sigh of relief. But then, she noticed that someone was already there.

Before she could do or say anything, the person turned, and though it was still dark, she saw it was Sho. For some odd reason, that didn't make her feel as relieved as it should have. Sho, for his part, seemed pleased to see her.

"My oh my, it's sempai!" he laughed. "Didn't think I'd ever see you up here."

Keiko blushed furiously as she stepped away from the door and properly onto the roof.

"I, well, I don't come up very often. The views are nice, though."

"Man, they are, aren't they? Makes you feel like you're on top of the world! I'm surprised I don't bump into you more often. "

Keiko shrugged at that as tentatively, she joined Sho.

"Soooo, you're ready for the next term of this amazing centenary?" he asked, laughter in his voice, underlined by an edge of something. Keiko thought she knew what that edge was.

"We shall have to see what it brings. "

"True, true, but I'm thinking of what _we_ could do." Sho said. "We already broke in to Mori's place, did you know?"

"I…yes, I saw the messages."

Keiko felt sick, just thinking of it. Yet, at the same time, her heart had soared a little at the daring of it all. It did seem like something out of a book. Something that she would never, ever dare to do. Yet, out here now, thinking about it, a part of her wondered, _why not?_

 _Why not?_

"Maan, that was something a little different, for sure! It's a lot different breaking into an empty school just to mess around. Or getting the keys. It's kind of exciting."

"Weren't you worried?"

"Me, worried? Naaaah." Sho grinned. "I just had to follow Shino, they knew what they were doing. I just had to pick the locks and all that. To say nothing of providing muscle."

Sho flexed his arms at this, showing off some decidedly non-existent muscle. Keiko nodded obligingly, even managing to smile. But she couldn't hold it for long, and found herself looking back up towards the sky, trying to luxuriate in its boundlessness.

"But anyway, even if I was worried, I am not now. " Sho babbled on. "I mean, that's one down to the system, right, now we've got it!"

"Mhm." Keiko murmured.

"Yeah, I bet they're going to be quaking in their boots when they find out what we're all sitting on!"

Sho rambled on in this vein for a little while, and Keiko did her usual good job of pretending she was listening, all while looking out at the sky, remembering the calm she had felt the last time she was up here. Trying desperately to reclaim it.

Eventually, Sho quietened, and there was a momentary silence, before:

"Hey, Senpai?"

"What is it?"

"Doesn't it make you feel boundless, being up here?"

"I….why do you ask?"

"Well, it's like you're on top of the world. And it's not the same as flying-oh man, flying. There's nothing like the speed, or the wind in your hair. But still, up here, without any contraptions. You could touch all that sky, right? It feels like it."

All Keiko could do was stare at Sho, who seemed enraptured by his train of thought, looking to the sky with an expression that was no doubt just like hers had been just moments before. It was strange, seeing Sho-bouncy, irrepressible, always grinning and joking and waving Sho-so still like this.

"I wonder, senpai, what I might have to do, to feel like this on the ground."

"I…I don't really know, Nakajima-kun."

"Perhaps it's what we're doing now. I've never done anything quite so exciting, so maybe…." Sho said, as if she hadn't spoken. "Yes, perhaps it is. What do you think?"

"I…well, maybe. It is certainly quite different. But it's to help people, too, so-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, senpai!" Sho groaned, pulling a face. "Finger up to the system and all that. But still…ehhh, whatever. You know what, I'm gonna grab my bike and take it for a spin before the world wakes up. You staying up here?"

"Huh? Oh….yeah. Stay safe, Nakajima-kun."

Sho simply grinned at her, before he made his way down. Keiko sighed, and wrapped her arms around herself as she looked to the sky. She wondered just how far Sho, or even the rest of them, would go to feel the same way here as they did on the ground-if excitement was truly what they were looking for.

 _How far would I go, though?_

"I wouldn't. I can't." she tried to tell herself. "I can't. It's not right."

 _And yet…._

 _And yet…_

She thought of what she had promised her mother, that she would make the most of her time left, to make a difference. If she sat back now, as things kept happening, then she would not be doing that. Besides, as she'd thought before, they needed looking after, the rest of them, just to be sure they really didn't do anything too awful. She could let them have their excitement-even that was beyond her, anyway. But…she closed her eyes, felt the sudden breeze gently buffet her face. Allowed herself to fully luxuriate in it.

 _But I will stay. And if I can get some of that feeling too, then so be it._

 **…**

Sosuke put his phone in his pocket with a heavy sigh. Dealing with the aftermath of the break-in was proving to be a hassle, but all in all was less of one than he had expected. Nobody so far had any idea that he could have provided the culprits with information. Or even that he had given his consent for them to do it. Of course, he'd made a point of knowing as little as possible, just in case Shino, Sho, Emiko and whoever else they'd had doing things for them were to be caught and one of them broke and admitted it. But so far, there was no reason for any of them to think that the break in was anything to do with Hope's Peak. They'd certainly done a good job of just making it seem like any old random hooligan.

 _Still, I need to be careful. The danger isn't over. And I need to see what is happening before deciding what to do next._

And he had to admit, the seeing was proving rather interesting. He had never expected that the centenary would see him step into the role of Deputy President, even if the circumstances were what could be described as unfortunate. Nor would he have imagined himself involved with the type of rebelliousness the likes of Shino Hisakawa seemed to indulge in. Yet, here he was. Waiting, and watching. _And making my own moves, gradually. Because if I did play this right….well, it isn't on the same par as Prime Minister or anything like that, but even so. That's a lot of power to hold._

Walking into the Student Council office, Sosuke busied himself with admin work on the computer, preparing for the term ahead. As he was, of course, extremely early, nobody else arrived for a long time. From time to time, he checked his phone, and sent a couple of messages (to begin one of the moves that he had planned to make), but he worked almost continuously as the morning inched forward. Gradually, though, there were some arrivals. Mizuki was the first of them.

"Good morning." She greeted.

"Good morning." Sosuke said back.

"How are things?" Mizuki asked, giving him a look that made it clear this was not just a casual small-talk sort of question.

"Everything is fine. I think we will soon have things back in hand again, and hopefully there will not be any more unrest." Sosuke replied, carefully. "Ideally, things will settle back down and they will not take up so much space anymore."

He watched Mizuki's face for a moment, watched her absorb the information. But before she could respond, he continued on briskly.

"Speaking of unrest, I have talked with President Nomura and he is more than happy to go with a variant of your proposal to include the Reserve Course in the Student Council proper."

"Excuse me, did you just say have the _Reserve Course_ up _here_?"

This came from Masao Kishitani, one of the Class Representatives. His face was twisted into a blend of disbelief and utter contempt. Naturally, Mizuki flared, her eyes flashing a little as she pulled herself up as best as she could to seem straighter and taller (though, in all fairness, she was hardly short).

"Is that something you have a problem with?" she asked. "They are part of the Student Body too."

"There will not be equivalent roles, as such." Sosuke interjected smoothly. "But the plan is to have a small group of Reserve Course Representatives, so that that portion of the school can say they are represented at the highest level of the school. Indeed-"

Masao's face twisted further, but he did not give a response that caused the interruption. Rather, that was caused by the doors abruptly swinging open, and three people almost stumbling through it. The first two were Anya Okikura and Taki Ishihara-the former looking annoyed, the later just the usual windswept, rumpled, amiable mess with a big dash of bewildered thrown in for good measure. The final person was precisely who he had hoped it to be-Mihoko. But he was not exactly as he had expected to see her. Rather, she seemed flushed and out of breath, and rumpled like Taki.

"What is this?" Sosuke asked, mildly.

"Look, did you actually call your TEP girl up here, or is she just making things up? She was saying some nonsensical thing about-"

"Hey, come on, that's a bit mean-Sakurai seems a good sort and all!" Taki interjected. "Besides, she was getting a lot of flack from my classmates and those first years!"

"You got harassed?" Mizuki asked Mihoko instantly.

Mihoko, for her part, had already started trying to neaten up her appearance. She looked over at Mizuki and blinked.

"Just some tussling and general intimidation attempts. Could've been worse."

This sentiment was rounded off with a shrug. Sosuke tried to make eye contact, to assess her mood, but she was studiously not looking at him. There was a part of him that thought that perhaps having Mihoko as one of the Reserve Course representatives wouldn't be such a good idea. On the other hand, like it or not, they were on the same side together. He just needed to make that clear enough so he could reap the benefits.

"Well, that is good," Sosuke said. "But to answer your question, Okikura-san, yes, she was speaking the truth. When President Nomura arrives, he will explain more. We spent the last couple of days before school started again discussing this and we think this might go some way to keeping things calm."

"But-"

"You heard him, we'll be talking about this when everyone is here." Mizuki said, steel in her voice. "But until then, I'll have you know that Sakurai-san should be treated with respect while she is here. And I would advise you to advise your sister to leave people alone."

"My sister is none of your buisness." Masao said, just as steely.

"Guys….." Taki hesitantly said, laughing awkwardly.

Thankfully, at that moment, Nomura arrived, and thus any further arguments about Sumi Kishitani were set aside as Nomura talked them through the Reserve Course representatives plan. Sosuke, of course, knew it, so he did not listen completely-though he did keep one ear open, just in case.

"I really don't see the point though," Masao objected. "The Reserve Course are over there, they don't really get involved. "

"Yes, well, the principals do want the two courses to integrate more, and we do already have the TEP." Nomura said.

"If we all complained about the TEP though, we could stop it and go back to normal." The 100B representative pointed out.

"But is there really a reason to do that?" Mizuki asked. "A real, true reason that isn't just because you have unfair prejudices towards them?"

This, of course, resulted in a momentary silence. Eventually, though, Nomura spoke up to move things along.

"That's not really an issue right now. What is more important that we choose Representatives correctly. They will be paired with Class Representatives, roughly speaking, so there will be six, one of which we already have here."

"If I may, I would like to have my TEPs here too. Or at least, one of them." Mizuki spoke. "If any of the others feel their TEPS would make good candidates, then they can also put them forward. With that being said, I think we should allow a chance for Reserve Course students to apply as well."

"Yeah, but we don't want to let any old person in." Anya pouted.

"But if we are making this as fair as possible, then applications are the best way forward. " Mizuki insisted.

"You say that, but you clearly want someone particular in." Anya retorted.

Mizuki opened her mouth to argue, but then she seemed to think better of it. She thought about it, and nodded. Sosuke wondered who it was out of her two TEPs that she was thinking of, or if perhaps she really wanted both in. But considering they were both part of the group, that made sense really. The more people on side, the easier things would be.

"That's fair."

"I believe I have a solution that is workable." Sosuke said slowly, the idea forming as he did.

"Go on." Nomura said.

"Increase the number to eight. Then, Teranaga-san and I can have our two choices, and two more people with good judgement can have theirs. We can then put forward a notice that we need four more, and give applications. We can shortlist the applications, then interview them. Then from there, we select four. "

"Oh, it's like proper job interview thing!" Taki exclaimed. "They could even have references from fellow classmates too."

"And TEPs, if they are part of one." Anya added thoughtfully.

"Perhaps we should interview our pre-chosen ones just as a formality, though." Nomura mused.

"I agree with that." Mizuki said. "We should really be trying to be as fair as possible with this process."

"I still don't see why we are giving them free access here." Masao grumbled.

A few others echoed similar sentiments, and Sosuke looked to Nomura for guidance. Nomura opened his mouth to talk, at the same time Mizuki also geared up to say something. But neither of them got the chance, as all of a sudden, the doors opened, and a small group of students stared at them, looking flustered and out of breath.

"You need to come quickly!" One of them said before anyone could ask. "There's a reporter outside, and she's looking for someone."

"One of us?" Nomura asked.

"Yes! No! I don't know!" another student said. "Just, come. The principals asked."

They didn't need to say any more than that.

 **…**

The reporter in question was a woman roughly in her mid-thirties, and apparently on her own-no camera crew or anything like that. Instead, she had her own camera (though at the moment, she was just holding it by her side), and a bag which presumably contained a notebook or recorder, and whatever else she needed. She appraised their approach coolly.

"I take it you are the Student Council." She said.

Nomura stepped forward and held his hand out to shake.

"I'm Michiaki Nomura," he said smoothly. "Student Council President. It is very nice to meet you…"

"Ogawa. Satsuki Ogawa. I'm a freelance journalist."

"And what was it that you wanted to talk to us about?"

"I am actually supposed to be meeting a Reserve Course student about an incident that occurred recently."

"It has been the school holidays." Sosuke pointed out.

Ogawa gave him another cool, appraising stare, but Sosuke did not flinch. Ogawa did not either, but she was still the first to speak.

"Nonetheless, students do often go into school during the holidays, whether for study sessions or club activities or something else. I trust that this school is no exception here?"

"No, it isn't. What is the nature of this incident?" Nomura asked.

Again, another appraising stare.

"I am surprised you don't know already, considering. Now, if you don't mind, I would like someone to take me to the Reserve Course building."

 _So, probably another fight of some sort, or otherwise some sort of complaint. Whoever this person is is bold, though, inviting the reporter straight to campus._

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Nomura said smoothly. "However, I can take you to our Principals if you want to talk to them about this. "

"That would be good, actually," Ogawa said. "I am surprised they have sent you out to deal with me, instead of coming out themselves."

"The Student Council takes great pride in helping with the responsibility of running the school."

"I'm sure they do." Ogawa said, in a tone that Sosuke frankly did not like. "May I use that as a quote?"

"Sure, sure." Nomura said smoothly. "Now, shall I take you over?"

"Please do."

"Alright, the rest of you can go back to your classes, or anything else you may need to do. We'll have another meeting after school today about the matter we were discussing."

Nomura did not leave enough time to discuss or debate this as he swiftly escorted the journalist away. Most of the others quickly left, but Mizuki lingered, watching the journalist and Nomura go, and thus Sosuke did too. Mihoko also remained.

"I am surprised the journalist did not attempt to talk to you." Sosuke commented to her.

"I didn't want her to." Mihoko retorted. "So I just stayed behind you. You probably didn't even notice I was still here."

"I presumed you would follow." Sosuke said after a beat.

"I'm worried." Mizuki said, still looking over.

Sosuke and Mihoko both stared at her. For a moment, nobody said anything, but then Sosuke asked the obvious question.

"Why would you be worried?"

"About what they are going to do, of course." Mizuki said. "Do you really think that they're going to just let the reporter report on whatever has happened over there?"

Mizuki gestured wildly in the direction of the West Building. Sosuke sighed patiently, but before he could ask what she was on about, Mihoko caught his eye, and gave him a cool gaze.

"Think, before you ask. _Think_."

"Whatever do you mean by that?" Sosuke asked her, just as coolly, doing his level best to pretend that he was not even vaguely rattled.

Mihoko rolled her eyes.

"I don't know if you're being dense on purpose or if you really are this block-headed, but you of all people should really know."

"If they went to such lengths to cover up things before…."

Hearing Mizuki's half-murmured words, Sosuke looked back over to the redhead, who had now turned slightly away, though he was still able to see that she was frowning thoughtfully at the main entrance. Watching her, Sosuke mulled over Mihoko's words, as well as hers. Of course the school was going to try and persuade people not to write badly of it. That seemed fairly logical to him. But of course, it was mildly disturbing how what had essentially been the biggest school-based mass tragedy in Japan's history had been pretty much supressed simply by the school. He was all for keeping things under the radar, but that seemed a bit much.

 _However, that just means we need to be careful when we do the same ourselves._

"I'm going after them. I'll see you later."

Sosuke barely had time to blink, let alone form a vaguely coherent response, before Mizuki had gone. He stared for a long moment, then beckoned to Mihoko, and began the journey back to the Student Council meeting room.

 **…**

"Oh fuck, fuckety fuck."

Hana looked up from what she was sketching as the speaker of these words barrelled into her classroom all of a sudden. He was looking around wildly, looking slightly out of breath. He was a classmate of hers, though not one that she talked to. Himekawa, she remembered his surname to be.

"Are you okay?" she asked, even though she was a little afraid to.

Himekawa flailed, and then stared at her.

"You won't tell anyone I was here, will you? I mean, they'll figure it soon enough but-"

"No…." Hana shook her head, not really understanding. "But what do you mean?"

"I was meant to meet someone here, to tell them about….." Himekawa again looked around him furtively. "Something that happened. But they intercepted her."

"Something? You mean…."

Hana studied Himekawa's demeanour, and because she'd had enough of it on her mind, she was able to put it all together to understand that Himekawa was in possession of some sort of evidence of Hope's Peak's discrimination.

"I wanted it out there, I thought it'd help, but….yeah, it's not going to be now. And they're probably going to have it in for me big time. Oh man…."

"You could still get it out there."

Hana almost didn't realise she said it until Himekawa abruptly stilled and stared at her, bug-eyed.

"How, exactly? They'll straight up know it's me if I post it anywhere-that's why I wanted to tell the media…."

Hana blushed, and squirmed, but forced herself to follow through. _If this is what I think it could be, then this is my chance to be a help, in a way that won't hurt people._

"I know people." She said, keeping her tone low just in case. "They want to help too. And they can get your thing out there. What is it?"

"Oh, uh, it's a fight….well, pretty one-sided, for a fight. A video of one." Himekawa stuttered. "But seriously, you know people? What's that meant to mean?"

"It's probably best you don't know…" Hana said.

"Holy fuck, wow. Okay, didn't expect that from you, Otsuki."

Himekawa hesitated, emotions of all sorts flickering over his face. Then, with a heavy sigh, he reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a small USB stick. He held it out to her expectantly.

"Probably for the best if I no longer have it." he said, gruffly. "But will you really…?"

"I will."

Hana got up to get it, closing her fist around the small, innocuous USB and looking at him. Himekawa stared back, and then abruptly fled the classroom. For a moment, Hana stood there, her heart beating rapidly. Then, she put the USB into her own pocket, and went to sit back down again when suddenly, she heard the voice of one of the security guards booming out.

"Are you Arashi Himekawa?"

"What do you want?" she heard Arashi ask.

Cautiously, Hana crept over to the doorway of the classroom and watched as Himekawa looked up at the tall, intimidating guard. There were two others as well, standing just behind the one who had spoken.

"We need you to come with us." The main guard said. "The principals want to see you?"

"Oh, and what are you going to do if I refuse?"

The guards glared, and the main one stepped forward. Hana, despite her best intentions gasped, and all of them, as well as Himekawa, turned to look at her.

"Who are you?"

Hana opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Himekawa looked at her for a moment, then turned back to the security guard and gave a derisive snort.

"Oh, that's Otsuki. She doodles a lot. Don't you?"

"Um…"

"So, you have nothing to do with what Arashi Himekawa has been doing?"

"Has been…doing?" Hana asked, almost in a squeak.

"Oh come on, she doesn't have a clue. Leave the little girl be." One of the other security guards said, before looking at Himekawa once again. "And you, you probably shouldn't refuse."

Himekawa's hands balled into fists, and he glared defiantly at them, before his shoulders sagged and he shrugged.

"Fine, whatever. Do your worst."

Hana did her best to not breathe a sigh of relief as Himekawa walked off with the security guard. Her heart was hammering again, and she took in a few breaths to try and calm it, hand on her chest. A part of her wished Himekawa would look back at her as he disappeared, but he did not. It was probably for the best, but even so, she wished it. But once he was gone, she went and sat back in the classroom. But as she attempted to draw again, all she could really do was keep asking herself one question:

 _What do I do now?_

 **…**

At lunchtime, Hana sat outside with Emiko, Shino and Mihoko. Naturally, they all wanted to talk about the announcement that had occurred just after their morning break, about the Reserve Course Representatives role.

"I don't really understand why you're so against it," Mihoko said. "Wouldn't this be right up your street? Being right there on the inside? It'd be a lot easier for you too."

"Yeeeah, but then I'd have to toe the line around them, wouldn't I?" Shino grinned. "Besides, it's more fun to be the rebel."

"Of course it is." Mihoko's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Easy for you to say though, little Miss hand-picked." Emiko pointed out with an uproarious laugh.

Mihoko sighed, but didn't comment.

"Still, that'll be enough to have more people onside in power, so to speak, right?" Hana piped up.

"Oh yeah, Otsuki, are you gonna go for it?"

Hana hesitated, then nodded.

"I don't really want to, but…"

"Oh god, don't tell me, parents, right?" Emiko rolled her eyes. "I feel you girl. But you know what, just make it a joke application. Not too jokey, just in case, but the right level that it won't get picked. It'll get them off our backs a little while. "

 _Well, at least until I fail._ But in truth, that wasn't worrying Hana the most right now. Somehow, her parents far too high expectations of her seemed to fade into the background considering what else was on her mind.

"Yamashita and Kurogane are definitely going for it, did you hear?" Shino added.

"So's Kagane-sempai." Mihoko added.

"Kurogane-san would be good at it." Hana observed.

"Oh yeah, he definitely would. Not sure about sempai though," Emiko considered. "I mean on the one hand he could be, on the other hand, he's probably going to scare the Student Council."

"Why?" Mihoko wanted to know. "He's just as weird as the rest of them."

This, for whatever reason, was something that all of them found hilarious and they spent the next few moments laughing, before eventually catching their breath, and then spending a few moments eating their food.

"I think Yamashita's definitely going for it." Mihoko said after a while.

"Really?" Emiko asked. "Why?"

"Um, hello, Teranaga?" Mihoko said, as if that explained everything.

"Oh, do you ship it?" Emiko asked.

Mihoko gave her a deadpan stare that could have meant absolutely anything.

"Ah, come on, they're not all lovey-dovey like Kurogane and Yorokobi-which I think is absolutely adorable, as it happens." Shino protested.

"I know, right?" Emiko grinned. "I'm looking forward to the day they actually hold hands without furiously blushing, mind you."

"Well, that's true." Mihoko said, somewhat cryptically.

For Hana's part, she just blinked. It was not so much that she didn't understand the subtext here, but more that she was wondering if it was true. She remembered seeing them under the willow tree at the beginning of the year, had observed how they had become more of a unit (enough that she'd wondered sometimes why Mizuki had even chosen to have a second TEP in the first place, let alone have her as that person) over the last term.

 _Does it matter, either way?_

On an impulse, Hana found herself asking this question to the other three. They all stared at her for a moment, and then Mihoko nodded.

"You're right. Even so, I would be surprised if he didn't even apply."

"I suppose."

"Anyway, what's on your mind?" Mihoko asked.

"M-me?"

"Yes, you."

"I…um."

Hana blushed as now Emiko and Shino were staring at her quite closely.

"Is it boy trouble?" Emiko asked.

"What? No, no, no!" Hana spluttered, not expecting that. "No, Riku is fine. We're fine."

"Then…?" Shino asked.

"I, well…."

Hana looked around her, at all the other students enjoying their lunch in the September sun. Nobody was right near them, and those that were somewhat nearby were absorbed in their own conversations. She remembered what she had promised to Himekawa. _And I have to follow through on that…_

"Well…this morning…"

Hana lowered her voice, leaned in closer, and told them.


	40. The Road To Hell

**Trigger warnings apply for this chapter. Details about the specifics are in the author's note at the end of the chapter, so scroll down there first if you need these specifics.**

* * *

Mizuki ran a hand through her hair and sighed. It had been something of a long day. Coordinating the announcements and the drop in query sessions about applications to the Reserve Course Representative roles; chasing after that journalist to make sure that nothing had happened (thank goodness, nothing had, though the journalist had been extremely cagy and prickly after the exchange with the principals, and who could blame her); coming out of that to discover that a Reserve Course student was being marched out for contacting said journalist. Then, at the end of lunchtime, Hana had been escorted to her by Mihoko, Emiko and Shino with the USB stick that apparently the expelled student had been planning to give to the journalist.

So, they had all convened in Shino's panic room to see what was on the stick. What it was turned out to be a small series of videos, apparently taken on a phone camera, depicting different fights between Reserve Course students and Main Course students-though a lot of them seemed awfully one-sided to be called fights. _Assaults_ , Mihoko had summarised them as once the last one finished. But even the ones that could have fairly been called fights had been provoked, the Reserve Course students being needled and needled until there didn't seem to be a better choice for them than to lash out. Quite a few had adult witnesses-almost all of whom instantly took the Main Course students' sides, if they intervened at all. A lot of it fell in the category of 'it could have been worse' but there were a few that were _bad_ , all the same.

"Okay, that about covers it, I think." She looked over at Hana. "Thanks for bringing that to our attention, Otsuki-san."

Hana blushed and fidgeted, nervously. She clearly had not been expecting to be the one of them to bring such key evidence to their group.

"Who will be keeping the USB stick?" Sosuke asked. "I do not believed we mentioned it."

"Wouldn't it make sense for Teranaga-chan to keep it?" Keiko asked. "She's more or less our leader, after all."

This was met with silence, and Mizuki weighed the USB stick in her hand.

"Well, we all have copies anyway now, and we can all back them up as needed. Under the circumstances, I think it's best it gets disposed of.

"Hold on, shouldn't we like, photograph the stick or something?" Azuki piped up suddenly. "In case we just get accused of lifting it off the internet. Or something. I don't know."

"No, that seems like a prudent move." Sosuke said. "Perhaps you can do us the honours."

Azuki glowered at Sosuke, but did indeed do the honours, before expectantly staring at Mizuki.

"Yes, I'll get rid of this." Mizuki concluded. "Now, I think we should all go home and rest, or do whatever it is we need to do. Homework, applications. Contact myself or Mori-san if you need help with those, by the way."

With that, they dispersed, leaving the panic room, and the most of them heading home, though apparently Shino, Emiko, Mihoko and Hana were going to hang out a little longer.

"How are you going to dispose of the USB?" Mokomichi asked.

Mizuki turned to study him as he put on his own school shoes, stepping aside so that she was not in the way of the others trying to leave.

"Why?"

"I know of a place where you could burn it."

Mizuki simply stared at him. He just shrugged.

"It's a lot more permanent, isn't it?"

Mizuki considered this, and then nodded.

"Alright then. Show me."

 **…**

The place that Mokomichi had in mind turned out to be an abandoned stretch of land with sand and a drained body of water, known as the 'Artificial Beach' because once, at some point, it had been a tropical themed amusement park. Mizuki vaguely remembered news stories about the managers going into administration, and how there had been half-hearted attempts to buy the land and turn it into something afterwards. Clearly, none of them had followed through, she mused as she followed Mokomichi across the grounds, noticing warehouses here and there, all looking as abandoned as the rest of the place.

"From time to time you get the occasional party animal or squatter or whatever setting up camp for a while, but usually nobody comes here."

"Have you ever been here?" Mizuki asked.

" _Maybe_." Mokomichi said, clearly trying to be enigmatic about it. "Most of the time, it's quiet. And it's vast, too."

That, it most certainly was. The darkness of the sky-cloudy, only a few smatterings of stars visible-made the pools of lights from the few lampposts stand out, accenting the space. That, and the fact that most of it really was flat ground apart from the dried pool-thing, the warehouses, a few sad trees and of course, the lamp-posts.

"The point is, plenty of sticks and things to start a little fire." He said. "Then there's the sand. So…."

"But I don't have a lighte-"

Mizuki stared at Mokomichi, who sure enough had produced a lighter from a pocket or somewhere.

"Why?"

A shrug, which was enigmatic without needing to try this time, and Mizuki simply shook her head and snatched it, and looked around her for a good spot. She thought it was probably best to not be next to any trees, lampposts or warehouses. Luckily, that wasn't too difficult, so she was soon able to kneel down and start stacking twigs in a vague approximation of a campfire. Mokomichi helped, straightening it, and then when she couldn't light the fire, he took the lighter and managed it on the first try. Once it was lit, for a little while they didn't do anything, simply crouching there almost huddled together, watching the tiny orange flames dance.

"So…?" Mokomichi asked. "Are you going to…?"

"Ah, right, yes."

Mizuki got up and went over to her bag, and took the USB stick out before returning to crouch at her spot. She turned it over in her hand for a moment and then, with a deep breath, she let it drop into the fire.

The fire roared, and the flames lengthened momentarily before returning to their normal size. Some time went by, and then gradually, the fire began to shrink more, curling in on itself until all that was left were embers. Mokomichi scooped up sand and heaped it liberally over the 'campfire', and when he was satisfied, he briskly got up, before extending a hand to Mizuki, expression unreadable.

Mizuki regarded him with a similar intensity, then accepted his hand to help pull herself up. His hand lingered for a moment, and she made no move to pull it away initially. But then, he moved away to get his things, and so she did the same.

Then, they headed back home.

 **…**

After finishing filling in the basic details of the application form on his Electro-ID, Kumori sighed and took out his phone, going into 'Shhh!' and finding the copies of the videos that he had been sent. After putting in his earphones (this wasn't an apartment where noises could be heard easily, but he wasn't taking any chances), he tapped at a video and pressed play:

 _"Where'd you think you're going?"_

Main Course students' leering faces practically filled up the whole screen, one of them recognisable as the notorious Sumi Kishitani. Kumori wondered where Arashi Himekawa had been, if he had been there at all. Perhaps this was a phone camera recorder-he had advised many of his classmates to keep theirs on when navigating outside of West Building. On the 'discreet' setting, naturally, so they could still use their phones and avoid suspicion.

 _"J - just to my c-classroom."_

The voice was female, soft and hesitant, gentle and vulnerable. It made him think of Hana, though thankfully it wasn't her.

 _"And what makes you think you can go this way, slut?!"_

Sumi sneered, and a hand shot out, causing the camera holder to stumble, letting out a little shriek.

 _"I-I...this..."_

 _"Rhetorical question-or are you too stupid to understand?"_

Another shove and shaking camera view, and more taunts followed until suddenly, the camera or phone or whatever it was had been knocked from the girl's hand, and Kumori had seen a glimpse of her knocked to the ground before the video had gone black and ended.

Kumori closed the video, and took his earphones out, taking a deep breath in. If only he'd gotten to know Himekawa before. He could have become a part of their group. The group would have protected him, and then they could have worked to protect these people. As it was, when he and Kaneda had been trying to trace the victims in the video, they'd only found a few willing to talk to them. More than a few had left, too broken by what they had experienced. He'd be willing to bet that the principals were scratching their heads over why they were losing students, so stuck in ignorant bliss they were. No doubt they were still calling Riko's death an 'inexplicable tragedy'.

 _Stupid, so stupid. Why are we trying to save it?_

It'd probably be for the best if this were just completely destroyed, ended so something new and better could begin. Yet, he remembered the fun and sense of purpose he'd found after he'd met Riko, rallying his classmates, supporting and motivating them. He had failed with that this year, but that didn't mean he couldn't try again.

 _Give this place one more chance..._

He picked up his stylus, and started to write in the section about 'Why would you make a good representative for the Reserve Course? "

"Because," he quietly dictated to himself. "I care about my school and my classmates very dearly, and I want to put myself in a position where I can help them make the most of their time here. I have always done my best to support them, and this new Centenary is an opportunity to reach new heights. Not just for me, but for all of us..."

As Kumori got more and more into writing his answer, his voice trailed off. But deep inside his head, he thought

 _...and if they don't take it, then there will be no more._

 **…**

Two weeks later, Mihoko headed up to the Student Council room with heavy footsteps, somewhat reluctant to go even though she'd been here many, many times before. Perhaps it was because now she had a meaningful role of her own rather than just being connected to Sosuke. But then again, she wasn't going to escape being connected from Sosuke, much like how Mokomichi, walking silently by her side, was never going to escape being connected from Mizuki. Then again, he probably wouldn't want to escape. Whereas, in her case, she wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure how she'd ended up so involved in anything, but here she was.

 _And here I'll stay, I suppose. If only because now it'd be more pain to back out. And it'd be letting the elitism win._

Her line of thought was somewhat interrupted by the sound of rushing footsteps, and she turned to see Kumori running, with a number of students-presumably the other successful Reserve Course Representative applicants-looking somewhat harassed. Which, knowing this school, they probably were.

"Hello there, Sakurai-sama, Yamashita-san. I do hope we aren't late." Kumori greeted.

"No, we aren't." Mokomichi said with a shrug. "Nothing to worry about."

Except, well everything else, Mihoko thought as she exchanged looks with both Mokomichi and Kumori, acknowledging the link that existed between the three of them. The other Reserve Course students didn't seem to notice, instead shuffling nervously.

"Are any of you going to knock or what?" a stocky boy asked, scowling, breaking the awkward silence..

"I'll do it." Kumori answered, stepping forward to do it.

There was a pause after Kumori's hand fell back to his side, that felt like it stretched on forever, before the door opened and Michiaki Nomura stared back at them.

"Ah, our Reserve Course Representatives. Come in, come in. We're happy to have you here."

This was a blatant lie, at least where some of the Main Course class representatives were concerned. She was somewhat relieved that the plan for Reserve Course Representatives to be paired with them had been scrapped. Still, they all seemed relatively neutral when she and the others entered, taking the seats that Nomura indicated to them.

"Now, I'm sure you know who I am and who my deputy is, to say nothing of Teranaga-san, who will be your liaison-but, more on that later. Let's have the rest of the Student Council introduce themselves to you, and then, I would like each of you to tell us your name, class, and one reason why you are now a Reserve Course Representative. "

Mizuki gave them a nod, her gaze resting for a moment on Mokomichi, then Kumori, and then finally Mihoko herself. She appeared thoughtful as each of her other fellow student council members introduced themselves. Mihoko, of course, had encountered them before, so she zoned out a little as they introduced themselves, and then as Kumori and then Mokomichi introduced themselves. She only started listening again when the other students introduced themselves.

"I'm Isamu Asai," an athletic red-headed boy said. "I'm in the second year, and I want to improve the quality of mine and my classmates' educations."

Once he spoke, Mihoko recognised him as being one of Minah's TEP students. There was something tense about him, more than just the nerves from the situation. Perhaps he was just a naturally anxious person, but somehow she didn't think it was just that (even if she had no logical basis for that considering she didn't know him). She mentally shook it off, and listened to the other introductions.

The stocky boy was called Haruya Izanagi, a first year student who wanted to be able to join in with Main Course extra-curriculars. As for the others, was a petite first-year girl called Misa Kubota who was worried about the number of assaults and two second years-one tall and imposing called Suika Watanuki who wanted the school to have more space, the other bespectacled and dowdy with dark hair that fell into her face called Tomoko Ito, who wanted the teachers to teach them. Finally, it was Mihoko's turn, and everyone stared at her.

Mihoko took a deep breath.

"I'm Mihoko Sakurai, I'm in the same class as Yamashita, and I want there to be less elitism in this school."

This earned her more than a few raised eyebrows, and some of the class representatives of the Main Course tutted, one even muttering under his breath. But Sosuke was expressionless, and Mizuki gave a quick, fierce nod.

"Alright," Nomura said. "Hopefully you'll find your experiences as a Reserve Course Representative are meaningful. You'll have meetings like this with us once a month, but you'll be expected, amongst yourselves, to select a leader and have your own meetings so that you are prepared when you come to us. Teranaga-san is taking on the role of Reserve Course Liaison, so if there any urgent issues that crop up between your meetings, you have someone to go to. She will also be taking you to a room that we have set aside especially for you."

Mihoko exchanged looks with Mokomichi and Kumori. Their own room, in this building? She couldn't imagine that there had been many who were happy with that. It almost sounded too good to be true. Still, if it was happening, it was happening.

"But for now, let's get your take on an issue that the Principals asked that we discuss-quite a few of you have been leaving the school. What can you tell us about that?"

"Where'd you like us to start?" Izanagi retorted, almost snarling.

"There've been a lot of factors that've led to our friends and classmates feeling like that there is no choice but to leave," Kumori jumped in quickly, tone conciliatory. "But I would say the main thing is that it feels like the school isn't living up to its reputation. We feel unsafe, and we're not getting the education that we're supposed to be getting."

"Look, you're not Talented," Masao Kishitani said. "You cannot expect the same privileges that we get. You're essentially just ordinary."

"Yes, but at the moment, I'd say we're not getting the basic things that ordinary students get. I know bullying used to be pretty rampant in our school systems, but that's long since changed. The things that have happened to some people I know, the culprits wouldn't get away with it. And teachers would certainly not be expected to ignore it just because of the status of the culprits." Kumori said.

"The teachers would also be expected to actually teach us!" Tomoko piped up. "How are we supposed to get into university if the teachers are acting as if it's a constant day off?"

"I need good qualifications," Isamu said. "I've got my family to support, and I came here because I thought it'd be a good school. But so far, it's proving me wrong."

Isamu's frown became deeper as he said this, and he rubbed his head tiredly. Mihoko studied him briefly, wondering if this was what was accounting for his demeanour.

"Well, that seems fair enough to me!" Taki Ichihara said cheerily. "Not wanting to be constantly bullied, and wanting to actually learn, right?"

"Yes, exactly." Mizuki said. "There have been attempts to address this, but until the perpetrators get consequences, nothing will happen. So, President Nomura, what do you suggest?"

"Well, obviously, if anything happens, you need to make sure to tell someone."

Mihoko wondered if it would be a good time to point out that those who did tell often got ignored, or punished themselves. Arashi Himekawa was a good example of this. Though, she definitely wouldn't mention that, even if she was going to make the point.

"Sometimes we feel like we don't get listened to though." Misa piped up.

"That's unfair, you really should do, though I know it hasn't been great!" Taki said.

"Mhm." Nomura said with a nod. "You are right about that. Most likely, somewhere down the line there have been some misunderstandings, but hopefully we'll get things fixed. "

 _Oh, is that what they are calling it now?_

"What about the teachers?" Kumori asked.

"Now, now, one issue at a time," Nomura said, holding his hands up and pulling a slightly wry face, which Mihoko assumed was meant to be charming in one way or another. "If you perhaps could collect a log of incidents where the teachers haven't been following their job descriptions for the next meeting, then we can begin to address it then."

"For now," Sosuke added. "I think it will be best for Teranaga-san to show you to your room."

"Oh, and the badges!" Anya exclaimed. "As you may know, the winning design was designed by one of your lot! Hana Otsuki, class 2-A?"

"Oh yes, I know her, she's very talented and creative." Kumori said warmly.

Mihoko felt a stab of pride at the mention of Hana. She'd been so thrilled when the badge competition had come up, and unlike the actual Representatives role, she was excited to try it.

"Yes, well, the badges haven't been done yet, but they'll be delivered to you personally once they are, which should be in a couple of days' time."

"That's good to hear," Kumori said. "Well, thank you for your time."

Nomura nodded, and Mizuki got up.

"Alright then," Mizuki said. "Follow me. It isn't too far from here."

 **…**

"So, most of these extra rooms, it looks like the main way to access them is through the principals' office, right?" Mihoko asked, only half paying attention to the large piece of blue paper that was spread out between them, more worried that someone would come across them and wonder what they were doing.

"It looks like it." Mokomichi nodded absently, tapping his pencil against the sketches they'd made around the main map of the school.

"Don't forget the passage I found the other day." Shino said as they sketched it in, next to the labs. "I'm pretty sure that connects, but I didn't get the chance to go there the other day."

"Let's put that in a different colour, just to indicate that we're unsure." Mizuki decided. "Otsuki-san, could you pass a green?"

"Shouldn't you add in your renovations and extensions?" Hana asked as she paused her own sketches to pass the pencil Mizuki had requested. "They're too recent to be included on the map?"

"Oh yeah, that's right." Mizuki said. "That's good thinking."

"As expected of our little flower!" Sho grinned.

Mihoko rolled her eyes, and continued to keep watch, as Hana did while also continuing to sketch. While Shino, Emiko, Mokomichi and Mizuki had been trying to edit the map based on what they knew, Sho had mostly just been….well, Sho. Okay, since he'd been on the sneak-arounds with Shino and Emiko he did know some things, but mostly, he'd been an annoyance. Still, he was part of the group, so that had to count for something. Nonetheless, Mihoko found herself tuning him out as she looked out at the grounds around them.

This lunchtime, things seemed peaceful. Kumori and Isamu were doing their patrols as they'd agreed in their first Reserve Course Representative meeting just a few days ago, and everyone seemed fairly happy. And there had been an improvement in the school already. Their badges had arrived the day after the meeting, and Sumi Kishitani had been the only one to object to their presence once the badges were in place-everyone else just clocked them, and slunk away. Nobody had tried any funny buisness with their meeting room, even though it had seemed like the obvious target-especially as it was actually a decent sized clubroom rather than some poky cupboard equivalent. So far, nobody had been pushed around for straying too close to Main Course buildings, and as for the teachers….well, hers and Mokomichi's had been much the same, but from what she'd heard, some of the others had been cleaning up their acts.

It wasn't enough. It was never enough, especially when so many of these so-called improvements were simply the basics that should have been givens. Still, Mihoko had to remind herself that it was early days, and in a setting this steeped in elitism, anything was progress.

 _But, I want more._

"Are you alright?"

Mihoko looked over at Hana, who had put aside her sketchbook and was now finishing off part of her lunch, watching her carefully.

"Yeah, I guess." Mihoko shrugged.

Hana looked at her curiously for a moment.

"What do you think will happen, if things just get worse, instead of better, even with our trying?" she asked.

Mihoko rubbed her head, and shrugged, but said nothing. What could she say to that, after all? All of them knew that answer really, after what they had been discussing. How could it not be in their minds?

Hana smiled awkwardly, then picked up her sketchbook again. The rest of the time passed without event, and then they decided to separate for the day. Mizuki and Mokomichi and Hana went to discuss something to do with their TEP, while Shino, Sho and Emiko had their own plans. This left Mihoko on her own, and she didn't really mind that. It gave her a little more time to catch up on the learning that her teacher should have (but still was not) responsible for.

 _Ugh, but thinking of that makes me not want to do it anymore…_

After a few moments of thinking about it, Mihoko just decided to take a 'scenic' route back to the West Building and her classroom. So, that was exactly what she did when she left the willow tree, doing her level best to think about nothing at all as she wandered around different buildings and areas of the grounds, in amongst the trees, and pausing for a moment at The Bush (as she thought of it) before continuing on. But as she walked, she started to hear noises. Whispers, grunts, and what sounded like muffled cries.

 _What?_

Mihoko stepped forward more, keeping her footsteps as cautious as possible. The noises grew louder, and then, there were words.

"Grab her fucking legs, for god's sake, that's how she's getting at me-agh, fuck, you little-"

"Did she just bite you?"

"Yeah, but she ain't getting away so easily."

There was a sound like something thudding into flesh, and another squeal, and then something hit the ground, quite heavily, and footsteps thudded into action.

"Alright, now I'm having my turn."

The menace in that statement would have been enough to chill anyone, but the next sound that Mihoko heard practically had her blood freeze. Instantly, she thought of Emiko, of some of the female victims in the videos. As far as they'd been able to ascertain, things had never gotten that far in those incidents. But that didn't mean they couldn't. Because while early days was in one sense a plea for understanding while things changed, it also gave far, far too much leeway to let things slide, citing all these 'graduallys' and 'somedays' as excuses to never change at all.

Mihoko took deep breaths, taking off her shoes so as to make her steps quieter, willing herself to not vomit as she looked for a place where she could hide and also see what was happening. As luck would have it, hiding behind (not inside, never again inside) The Bush seemed to be the place, and so she crouched, again taking more breaths to try and steady herself. Sure enough, it was what she had dreaded. One girl, injured and struggling under the restraint of about three, her clothes ripped. There was more laughter and insults, to say nothing of threats. The specifics washed over Mihoko-the specifics did not matter-as she watched, aghast, feeling every violation as if it was happening to her.

But then, the girl managed to turn her face, and she made eye-contact. Her eyes widened, but she couldn't say anything, as one of the boys had used his school tie as a gag. Mihoko's own eyes widened in response. _What am I doing? What the actual…._

" _I'm going to get help."_ She mouthed.

Then, before she could change her mind, she got up, and ran. She was dimly aware of the fact she was now making noise, but she kept on, running as fast as she could, her limbs flailing as she set the West Building in her sights, and rushed to the entrance, stumbling in and then blindly aiming for the stairs-and almost bumping into a teacher.

"Oh! Sorry, sensei!" she gasped, stepping back and realising it was her class teacher.

"Look where you're going next time?" the teacher said sourly. "Honestly, kids these days. No respect."

"I'm sorry, sensei. But, there's a girl…second year, I think, she's…she's hurt! Some boys from the main course, they're…."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, and if you don't mind, it is still lunchtime. Go back outside and gossip about boys, or whatever it is you do during your breaks."

Mihoko's jaw dropped open.

"But, sensei."

"I won't ask you again." The teacher said, rolling her eyes. "Go."

Mihoko made a noise of frustration, but exited the building, went around the corner, waited for the teacher to leave…and then rushed straight back in again, and up the stairs, where once again, she bumped into another teacher. This time, she struck lucky, recognising her as one of the good ones-Shino and Emiko's homeroom teacher.

"Oh! Are you alright?"

"I…I saw….I saw….."

"Shh, it's alright, take a deep breath. We'll go to my classroom, and we can talk about it."

"Sakurai-san, are you okay?"

To Mihoko's surprise, she saw Minah with Isamu, walking down the opposite end of the corridor. The sight of them sparked something in her memory, a name to put to the face that had looked at her so pleadingly.

"Manaka Takigawa." She managed to choke out.

Both Minah and Isamu stopped dead.

"What?"

Mihoko gulped, taking huge, shuddering breaths. For a moment, it felt like there was a block in her throat. Then, another breath, and all of a sudden it burst out. In a torrent of panic, every sordid detail, leaving her trembling by the time she came to the end of the explanation. Minah, Isamu and the teacher all stared at her, before the former two raced off.

"Wait!" the teacher cried out, before turning back to Mihoko and giving a strained smile. "Go to your classroom, I'll make sure this gets sorted out, so thank you for coming to find me."

Mihoko nodded, and waited stiffly as the teacher followed Minah and Isamu's thudding footsteps. Then, slowly, she walked to her own classroom, pulling herself to the window and watching the chaos that was beginning to unfold. And there she stayed, as lunchtime ended, as her classmates turned up but their teacher didn't. As an ambulance's sirens filled the grounds with deafening noise, and she watched Manaka Takigawa get carried in a stretcher. As her classmates around her gossiped and speculated about what had happened, many of the girls scared but so many of them sounding almost…almost voyeuristic.

 _This could have been you, don't you understand? This isn't just a drama,_ she wanted to scream. But she didn't, because she'd had enough of all this. She just wanted to fade back into the background, but she also wanted this all to stop. She wanted to stop it. At some point, she felt Mokomichi walk up and stand by the window next to her, but not too close, and though at first she made a point of pretending that she had not noticed, she found herself glancing over to see that his expression was devoid of all emotion.

Clearly noticing her stare, Mokomichi turned slightly, and raised an eyebrow, before turning back. Mihoko blinked, then followed suit. Neither of them said anything.

Neither of them needed to.

 **…**

It had not been a good idea to meet in the panic room, but there was not much that Mizuki could do about it now, as she sat back and let them all talk, let all the emotions fill the space and make it seem congested. She tugged at the collar of her school shirt, and rolled up the sleeves, having already taken off her blazer, and leaned back and took a breath.

"One of the culprits was identified, and has been suspended." Sosuke was pointing out to them all.

"One! Only one! Do you know what that was?" Emiko demanded. "Do you know? That was a gang rape!"

"Shishikane-san!" Yorokobi gasped.

"There's no sense in you looking so scandalised-it's exactly what happened!"

"But, in _school_ ….that's….that's just depraved." Yuna exclaimed, putting her hands out appeasingly. "Even outside of school, that would be depraved."

"But it bloody well happened, don't you get it? I know that it's messed up and crap, but it happened, and do you know why it happened? Because this school….this school is just…."

"Take a deep breath…" Keiko advised, coming over to pat Emiko consolingly.

As if mirroring Keiko's attempt at comfort, Kumori put a hand on Yuna's shoulder, and Yuna looked up at him, stricken, before hesitantly leaning into him. Though he looked cautious about it, he responded by putting a protective arm around her.

"And all we're getting is one person, being suspended. For a week! It was a week, wasn't it?" Azuki asked, looking at Sosuke, who nodded.

"Yes, a week."

"The staff and security are trying to find out who the others were." Mizuki spoke up. "But so many of them are covering for each other…"

"But why?" Minah shook her head.

"Richer people do always manage to get away with things though." Hana said. "But still, something like this…."

She shook her head, and for a moment, there was a hush. Mizuki closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, wishing for air. Something was pressed into her hands, and she blinked before opening her eyes properly and seeing that a bottle of pink lemonade had been pushed into her hands. She unscrewed the lid and took a cautious sip before meeting Mokomichi's eyes and nodding at him.

"We were supposed to be able to help!" Kumori burst out.

He fiddled with the blue-and-white badge that he was wearing. Mizuki noticed Mokomichi's fingers linger against his own for a moment as well before sticking his hands back in his pocket.

"Well, clearly it's not, is it?" Shino snarked.

"I think it's still worth continuing with though." Hana piped up, eyes wide and worried.

"I know, I want to believe that too. But, I think we have no other choice anymore." Kumori concluded soberly, still holding onto Yuna.

"What are you talking about?" Sosuke asked, forehead very slightly creased.

"Oh, I think you know!" Shino teased. "And you do, too, oh great leader. Don't you?"

This mocking comment was aimed at Mizuki, who sighed as she screwed the lid back on her drink. Her head was starting to pound, but she resisted the urge to rub it. She looked around at them all, this group that she had had a role in gathering, all looking to her.

"I know….but…"

 _I can't commit to something like this, but…desperate times, desperate measures. That is what they say, and if this isn't a desperate time, what is? What can I do? What can we do?_

Her eyes rested on Mihoko, sitting in the corner, knees drawn up to her chest, in a posture that would have suggested sleep if not for the fact that her brown eyes had been wide open the entire time, staring at them all. She hadn't said a word this entire time, not during the latest turn of the conversation, not since they got there, even though they had found out about it all through her frantic efforts. So, it was Mihoko she decided to ask:

"What do you think?"

Mihoko lifted her head, yawning slightly.

"About what?"

"Are we aiming?" Kumori asked before Mizuki could answer. "For the heart and the head."

 _In other words, are we going to kill?_ Mizuki had to stop herself from shuddering-after all, she was not directly opposing it. She was not telling them to stop, because she was just as angry and weary and desperate as they were. _I have no right to feel like this_. Yet even so, she held her breath as she waited.

Mihoko gave a thousand-yard stare, while still looking bleary. Then, she returned to her crumpled position, but not before clearly saying:

"Yes."

* * *

 **The trigger warnings are for assaults, some of a sexual nature, the first in the video that Kumori watches in his POV scene, the second after Mihoko leaves the others and decides to take a 'scenic' route back to her classroom.**


	41. faute de mieux

**faute de mieux='for want of something better' according to the A Word A Day email I received on 14/1/2020**

* * *

Sitting at his desk in his office, Sosuke was deep in thought as he tapped his pen quietly against his paper, thinking of the precise words to write. Still, he kept one ear on the door-he had put up his do-not-disturb sign up, but it was always better to be safer than to be sorry.

After all, that was why he was writing this.

" _Yes."_

 _The word seemed louder than it could actually have been, coming from Mihoko. It produced an almost unnatural hush, which fell across the whole room and seemed to freeze them all. Knowing what this group were like, Sosuke had expected there to be an outcry, a flurry of protest or rage or something. He had expected certain people amongst them to simply walk out. But instead, for this long moment there was nothing. Just this hush, and all of them, looking at each other, their expressions a mix of all sorts of feelings, but with one common denominator:_

 _They were all in it for the long haul._

 _Sosuke normally had no problem with silence. He could wait it out, and eventually the other, lesser, person would cave. But this went on for too long, and eventually, much to his chagrin, he had to be the lesser person, and say:_

" _Well then, how are we going to do this?"_

 _Some of them blinked, as if coming out of a dream._

" _What do you mean?" Kumori asked, tentatively._

" _How, precisely, are we going to do this? Who are we aiming for specifically, when are we going to do so? What is our plan? One cannot simply make a grand, sweeping statement and then not have practicalities to back it up."_

 _For whatever reason, this made Azuki snort derisively and mutter something inaudible but no doubt unsavoury under his breath. But Mizuki nodded, although soberly._

" _You are right," she said. "We need a set plan."_

" _Kill the Ultimates," Shino said flippantly, her use of the American term adding an extra casualness. "Not that hard."_

" _Yes, but we can't just go rushing in with pitchforks screaming, can we?" Kumori asked. "It'll just be a riot again."_

" _No, that's right!" Kaneda exclaimed. "Maybe we need something more covert?"_

" _How do you kill covertly?" Yuna wanted to know._

" _Disappear them, like we're secret agents or some shit?" Sho asked casually. "Get people freaked out and confused and then BAM."_

" _Or perhaps something like a hostage situation." Emiko suggested. "Demand reforms, or a precious SHSL dies every so often."_

" _That would make us terrorists." Hana observed._

" _Just talking about it, we already are." Mihoko pointed out, sitting up now._

" _It would be tricky, though, to take the whole school hostage, wouldn't it?" Keiko asked. "Even if it is just our side, that's a lot of students, to say nothing of the adults. And we'll have to make sure it's not on a day any siblings or anything are visiting."_

" _Why?" Shino side-eyed Keiko._

 _Sosuke found himself doing the same, wondering what she would say._

" _Whatever we do, we can't have children getting involved."_

" _Riiiiiiggghhhhht."_

" _So, we're doing a few, but who? Like, the worst ones?" Emiko asked._

" _Define worst." Sosuke said quickly._

" _Presumably Kishitani-sama, and possibly her brother too? And then some of the faces in the videos." Kumori answered instantly._

" _One of them was Mawa-chan's brother." Minah spoke up._

 _Shino gave her a look._

" _Yeah, and?"_

" _No, just…."_

 _Minah was looking incredibly uncomfortable, and now Sosuke discreetly side-eyed her, wondering what it was she was thinking, exactly. It was interesting that she was even still here, what with her taekwondo tenets._

" _It's the system that we're attacking though," Kaneda said. "Right?"_

" _The likes of the people mentioned are the problem with the system though," Mizuki pointed out. "What other alternative is there?"_

" _Like it or not, we are all part of the system." Sosuke said. "Well, those of us who hold titles, at least. It would not be a true attack on the system if every single person was someone who we deemed evil."_

" _So what, we're grabbing any old person then?" Shino asked. "Works for me."_

" _No, I can't."_

As Sosuke wrote, he remembered how at that point Minah had finally acted more the way he'd expected, and she'd stormed out. Not that had lasted for long, but then again Keiko had gone after her, and whatever she'd said must have been convincing enough. Or maybe it was the pull of the group. Or maybe, she too was taking a safer route. After all, even if she had not come back, she would have still known too much. Then again, that didn't fit either. _But either way, it does not matter. Because I know, and I am doing what needs to be done, just in case._

At this point though, there was not much to write. Only the strange, snaking directions that their resolutions had gone in, arriving only at the idea that they would select a group, roughly the size of a school class, and hold them in some sort of hostage situation with a game of some sorts. A game with the stakes of life. What this game looked like, if there'd be a possibility of winning it, how they'd even manage to get it started-they didn't have any of that yet. But what they had was enough to damn them, should they be found out.

Sosuke sighed, and reached the end. He neatly signed the letter, then folded up the sheets and slipped them in the envelope. He licked the sticky part of the envelope to seal it, and then took a strip of sellotape to seal it further. Then, he flipped it over, and carefully printed:

"To be opened only in the event of my disappearance or death, where this happens under suspicious circumstances-Sosuke Mori."

Then, he got up, crossed the room, opened his safe, and then the lockbox inside that, before placing the letter in it, and locking it all up again. Once that was done, he tidied his desk, gathered his belongings, and walked out without a backwards glance.

 **…**

Glancing at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth, Minah realised that she looked terrible. Her hair was messier than usual, even accounting for the fact she'd just gotten out of bed. Her expression was thin and pinched, and there were deep circles under her eyes. It was hardly surprising though, because after coming back to the dorm, she'd barely been able to sleep. She'd tried all the strategies she'd learnt for falling asleep, and not a single one had worked.

How could it have, after what had happened the day before?

 _I should have found a way to stop it, right there and then. I should have stayed away._ Normally, she would have, and she would not have had any second thoughts, but she had stayed and she had wavered and now… _what's going to happen to us? To me?_ The thoughts swirled around and around in her head as she went through the routine of getting ready, but as she looked at the clothes in her wardrobe and reached for her uniform, she paused, and sighed.

 _I can't do this. I can't just go and act as if this is a normal day._

A headache was starting to form, and she rubbed her head tiredly, abandoned her wardrobe for a moment to take a few sips from the water bottle on her bedside table, and then returned, and instead of taking out her school uniform she pulled out black yoga pants, a pale green crop top and a dark grey denim jacket. Then, she got changed, and started to comb her hair, but as she started to gather it in a ponytail, she changed her mind, and let it fall again, and then combed it back, fished around her drawers for a couple of hairslides to make a perfunctory attempt to at least have it out of her face, then put them in, leaving her hair loose. She then found a small purse, and made sure she had money and her phone. Then, with a sigh, and a plan half-forming in her mind, she left her dorm, locked the door, and started to head down.

"MINAH-CHAN!"

Minah tried her hardest not to wince as all of a sudden, she was practically glomped by Leah, Ai and Mawa.

"Oh my god, are you alright after yesterday?" she asked. "With that girl…ugh, honestly, boys are disgusting sometimes, I swear."

"Mhm…." Minah said. "Takigawa-san was quite hurt…"

"Yeah, it's understandable you'd be worried, what with her being your TEP and all." Leah nodded thoughtfully.

"Plus, that's just sick, what they did." Mawa said in disgust. "Like, I know, Reserve Course, but come on. Are you going to see her? Is that why you're not dressed for class?"

"I…yeah." Minah blinked. "I'm also going to see a doctor, myself; I have a bit of a headache."

Now, this wasn't entirely a lie, but she could hardly tell her friends that she was going to the police because she wanted to stop her other friends from doing something horrible before it was too late. That, and she felt guilty she had not thought of going to see Manaka herself.

"Oh! Why not just go to the school nurse?" Ai asked.

"I've been having something for a few day, I'd rather get it sorted out as soon as I can."

"Oh, oh, fair enough. Gotta take care of your body, right?" Ai grinned.

"We'll cover for you, too, if need be." Mawa grinned. "Right, girls?"

Leah and Ai nodded eagerly, and despite herself, Minah smiled.

"Thanks, guys."

Mawa, Leah and Ai ran off, and then Minah continued on her way, slowly and carefully, tensing as she left the building, and crossed the grounds to the gate. A few people waved, and automatically she smiled and waved back, but she kept going, and going, until finally, she was past the , she took a moment to breathe.

And then, she carried on.

 **…**

On the way to the hospital Manaka had been admitted to, Minah stopped at a small florist's bouquet for flowers, letting them keep the change and revelling in not being recognised as either herself or even as someone from Hope's Peak. She felt as if she should try and buy something else, something better, but she realised she wasn't sure what it was that Manaka really liked. All this time spent with her, considering her something approaching a friend as well as a student, and she had no idea what an appropriate get well present was for her.

 _You're going,_ she tried to tell herself. _That's the main thing._ Still, there was a maelstrom of guilt in her stomach as she hopped on a bus, staring broodingly out of the window at the mid-morning quiet without really seeing any of it. By the time she actually got off in front of the hospital, she felt almost ready to fold double with the feeling of it, replaying yesterday over, and over, and over. She tried her best to keep the feeling in check as she walked inside.

The hospital was very quiet, with only one person waiting in the front waiting area, apparently content reading an e-magazine of some sort. It was clean and airy, the walls painted a refreshing pastel green, complemented by tasteful floral paintings. Putting a smile on her face, Minah walked right up to the front desk. The receptionist was on the phone, but he looked up and gave her a quick smile and indicated he'd be a few moments. Minah nodded, and waited patiently. Unfortunately, it seemed like whoever he was on the phone with could not be dealt with within a few moments, as those quickly passed and he was still trying to appeal and negotiate with whoever was on the phone-something about appointment times, was the best that Minah could decipher. Luckily for her, two nurses chose that moment to come out from one of the doors leading from the corridors, and over to the desk, and one of them spotted her.

"Oh, hello there, are you waiting for an appointment?"

Minah shook her head.

"No, but I'm coming to visit a friend of mine-Manaka Takigawa? She arrived yesterday. I wasn't sure if she would be able to have visitors but I just…"

Minah trailed off, and bit her lip. The nurse-something about the look of her made her think of Keiko- gave her a reassuring smile.

"That's fine, I can just check that for you. Sekigawa-san, I'll be back in a moment, I'm just checking something for this young lady."

"Oh, sure, sure ."

The other nurse was doing something on the computer and wasn't paying attention, but a moment after the first nurse had disappeared, she looked up, and her eyes widened.

"You're-no, you probably don't want me blethering it here, but you are…" The nurse then mouthed her name, and Minah silently nodded, automatically putting on a polite smile and preparing for what was to come.

"You know, I'm Korean, too. Zainichi, that is."

"Oh, I see." Minah said, uncertain of where this was going.

"My granddad's parents got themselves new Japanese names, and our family's been here ever since. But at home we have Korean names for each other-mine's Jin-sook. But the point is, you can imagine that sort of identity hasn't always been easy to have in this country-but Towa has always been so tolerant in comparison-my parents moved us here when we were kids because we were being bullied in our old town. Things are obviously better these days, but even so. Yet, because you've become so popular, and you're in Hope's Peak, which has always been so celebratory of difference, I think things are starting to get better in other places, too. Because others want to follow your lead."

"Oh."

Minah thought of Manaka, beaten and battered and possibly broken, and of Arashi Himekawa's recordings. That was a result purely of Hope's Peak, and there were people who thought it a symbol of tolerance and acceptance? No wonder, she thought, that Shino and Mihoko and Emiko were scornful, why Mizuki was so fire-eyed and more willing to go along with what had been decided the night before. Why they all had been. Even she, on some level, had been.

" _No, I can't."_

 _Minah stood up, aware she was shaking uncontrollably, and she stared at them. They all looked at her in concern._

" _I'm so sorry. I believe in everything that you stand for, Teranaga-san and all of you. I don't want this to happen again, and I would do almost anything to stop it. But not this. You are condoning hurting other people. I need to back out. I'm sorry. I'll help you with other things, but I can't do this."_

 _Minah looked at all of them one more time. Mizuki, Keiko, Shino, Kumori and Kaneda all, to varying degrees, seemed to be readying to protest, but before they properly could, she briskly strode to the door of the panic room and wrenched it open, stepping out and closing it behind her. She stared out at the sparse spare room, finding herself unexpectedly out of breath and taking a moment to catch it again._

 _And then she heard the door open again, and someone call her name._

" _Kang-chan!"_

Minah gave the nurse a small smile, aware she needed a response. And she supposed that in any other circumstances, this would have been one of those good moments, one of the nice things about being a celebrity.

"Thank you."

At that moment, the nurse came back, all bustles and smiles.

"Your friend is up to visitors-she is on the first floor. Shall I take you up?"

 **…**

The room Manaka was in happened to be right at the end of a corridor, on the first floor. There was a window that people could presumably use to look into the room, but the pale blue ruffled curtains had been drawn across it. The nurse led the way, knocking and then opening the door.

"Takigawa-chan, there's a friend to see you!"

The nurse gestured to Minah to come in, and so she did. Manaka had been idly tapping away at a tablet, face pale, the various bandages making it seem paler. She was wearing pink pyjamas with rainbow stars all over them, but those couldn't quite disguise the shape of other dressings and bandages. She looked up, her gaze almost blank, but something lit up when she noticed Minah.

"Oh, hey there!" she said, only a faint glimmer of her usual cheer there.

"Has someone been in to check on you, Takigawa-chan?" the nurse briefly checked.

When Manaka simply nodded, the nurse smiled, and left them to it. There was a brief silence when they were left alone, then tiredly, Manaka gestured to the chair next to her bed.

"Come on, you may as well sit down." She said. "Also, I didn't expect you to play hooky just for me."

"Yes, well…" Minah trailed off as she obligingly sat down, handing the flowers to her. "I was worried about you."

Manaka pulled a face at that, accepting the flowers and playing with their petals idly as she spoke.

"That'd make you in a minority, then, at least at that school."

"Takigawa-"

"Look, I know you've got buddies who are supposed to be half-decent, but let's be real, they're in the minority. But it's not like it matters to me. Mum and Dad are already pulling me out of school-once I'm all healed up, they've already found me a swanky new school that'll take me. Though, they're being broad about the definition of recovery, thank goodness."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they think I'll be able to actually leave the hospital in like a week, but I've got counsellors and shit I need to see, because I am _soooo_ traumatised."

Manaka rolled her eyes, but there was enough strain in her sarcastic laughter to make it more genuine than she wanted it to be.

"So anyway, they're just letting me 'convalesce' at home. Don't get me wrong, I have tutors and crap so I don't fall behind and have swanky new school reject me. But my parents are still being really nice to me about all this. They definitely believe me, for one thing."

Manaka did not need to say that there were plenty of parents of Reserve Course students who were as affluent, if not more so, than hers who wouldn't believe their children, even if the evidence was right in front of them. She did not need to tell Minah that, despite everything, that made her lucky.

"Are they doing anything? With the school, I mean?"

Manaka shook her head.

"They're being cagy about that, but you know what Hope's Peak is like. No way it could be their or any of their precious SHSL's faults. SHSLs are total angels, don't you know? But yeah, they basically have their hands tied there. But Dad knows one of the boy's uncles or something, so they might try and sue that family privately or something."

"That's…I'm so sorry. I can go again, talk to the Principals again, tell them what I saw. "

"You already did that, right?" Manaka asked.

Minah nodded at this, and Manaka laughed again. This time, completely bitterly.

"There you go then."

For a moment, there was a silence. Minah sighed, and looked down at her lap. Manaka continued to play with the flowers. Then, with a sigh, she leaned over to the bedside table. Minah leapt up to help her put the flowers in an empty vase, then sat back down again.

"I…we can keep trying, though." Minah said, helplessly.

 _That was what we were trying to do, before_. She thought. And she knew that Mizuki hadn't abandoned all the other things she was trying to do to make Hope's Peak better. Neither were the others, as far as she could tell. But how did the flippancy of planning murder line up with such goals? How? She just couldn't understand it.

 _Minah turned to see Keiko at the doorway, looking at her almost pleadingly._

" _Please don't leave, Kang-chan." Keiko said. "We don't want you to go."_

" _Usui-sempai, I'm sorry." Minah said, meaning it. "But I can't agree to what they're saying. Surely you can't, either?"_

 _Keiko hesitated, then closed the door again._

" _They don't mean it."_

" _They…don't mean it?" Minah asked, almost disbelievingly. "They sounded like they were seriously considering planning murder and trying to dress it up as a game. That's not something you say lightly."_

" _No, but…they are so very passionate, aren't they? Trying so hard to make a difference."_

" _That doesn't excuse it!"_

" _No, no, of course not, but they're hurting. I'm hurting. Aren't you?"_

 _The pleading in Keiko's voice drew Minah up short for a moment, and she found she couldn't respond. Keiko took this as a moment to step closer to Minah, and take both of her hands._

" _They're hurting, and they need a way to work through it. Like, venting. I'm sure that's what they're doing."_

" _I…that sounded serious, for venting."_

" _I know, I know, but. They are so passionate, aren't they? So full of feeling. It's natural that they'd do things more intensely and…well. How can we leave them, Kang-chan? They need us.I'm sure if we stick together and support each other, we'll work through it. So please stay. Please."_

 _Minah stared at Keiko, who looked back, still pleading. She really believes this, doesn't she? She looked down at their hands, and gently pulled hers away._

" _I will think about it." she said, simply. "I'll see you in school tomorrow."_

 _Minah did her best to ignore the look on Keiko's face as she walked away. But all the same, it ate her up on the inside._

"You really are the nicest, sempai." Manaka said, bringing her back to the present once again. "Far too nice. But really, it doesn't make a difference to me anymore."

Minah opened her mouth to speak, but Manaka continued.

"I'm more worried about Asai. He was saying some stuff last night, about Hope's Peak pressuring him about his scholarship."

Minah blinked, for a moment taken aback.

"He did not mention that to me."

Manaka shook her head.

"He wouldn't have, he was pretty tight-lipped about it. But with the stuff going on with his family-he needs that scholarship. School shouldn't be fucking around with that."

"No, they shouldn't."

"But yeah, you can keep an eye on him, right? Make sure nothing happens. Maybe find out what's the deal with the pressure. You'd be able to, right?"

The first thought Minah had was that the group would practically leap on this investigation, and that they would try and make it-whatever it was-right. She so badly wanted to pass on what little information she had.

 _But I can't. I can't._

"I'll do what I can." She said instead.

She hated herself for lying, even more so when Manaka beamed at her gratefully. But she kept her feelings clamped down to herself as she chatted with Manaka for a few more minutes, then left the hospital and travelled to her next destination.

 **…**

Azuki sighed as he dumped his shopping bags on his bed, and then headed straight back out again, thinking to get something to eat from the canteen. None of the snacks he already had assembled in his room really appealed to him- _though, really, I should try and check those expiration dates_ -and he was really hungry after all that shopping. Despite the blogger lifestyle, he still remembered his early dirt-poor childhood and wasn't big into just going through clothes as if they were water. Okay, so he did often get to keep some of the snazzy things whose brands he sponsored, but still it felt a little extravagant to be buying new clothes so often. And yet, he had an image to maintain.

 _Pfft, I'm worrying about that of all things now?_ Azuki snorted to himself derisively, aware of how superficial and petty it sounded under his circumstances. _But still, I would rather be worrying about things like this than..._ almost immediately, Azuki's mind drew to a halt, refusing to name it even in the safety of his own head. _Nope, nope, nope._

To avoid as many people as possible on his way to the canteen, he took a circuitous route around the school, almost enjoying the mindless nature of ambling along corridors and up and down flights of stairs (it could also be seen as exercise, which he could pull out if ever accused of being a slob), when he almost bumped into Mizuki.

"Woah! Look where you're going!" he exclaimed, irritated. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Mizuki looked at him curiously.

"No, I'm fine. Where are you going?"

"Food."

"Do you want to come and meet the Reserve Course Representatives?" Mizuki asked. "They'd probably want to meet you."

"Do I look like Fumiyo at the moment?" Azuki glowered.

Mizuki raised an eyebrow.

"Then change." She said. "You could make an interesting video out of them, and besides, they have an idea I think you'd be interested. One that we'd all be interested in."

"Wait, you're not tell-"

"No, of course not." Mizuki said, sounding irritated herself now. "But it is a project that we can work on in the meantime, and if it actually bears fruit, well….you'll see what I mean, if you come."

Okay, now Azuki was more than intrigued. But at the same time, he wanted food, so he was not about to give up that easily.

"But my food."

"We have snacks."

"…."

Mizuki simply waited, patient but expectant. Eventually, Azuki sighed.

"Fine then, let me get changed at least."

"Alright then," Mizuki said, pointing. "Our room is over there, so see you in a bit."

Mizuki turned and headed down the corridor, and with a heavy sigh, wondering what he had got himself into, Azuki headed up, and quickly pulled out some of the new clothes from the bag on his bed (so much quicker than staring into his wardrobe) and changed, before making sure he was presentable enough to be Fumiyo, grabbing his camera, and heading back down again.

Once he was in the room, he introduced himself-as Fumiyo-and checked that everyone was happy with being filmed, before starting to film. He asked a few standard questions, and threw in some narration-most of it messy, but that of course was what editing and voice-overs were for. Then, he got right down to it.

"So, I've heard that you've come up with an interesting proposal? I wonder, what could it be? It all sounds rather intriguing!"

"Separating the schools." Isamu said proudly.

"What he means is, separating the courses," Kumori clarified. "That is to say, making the Reserve Course its own school, possibly on a different campus, and Hope's Peak itself reverting to simply being about the SHSLs again."

"I…wow, okay."

Azuki didn't have much of a response to this, as Fumiyo or as himself. Whatever he had been expecting, it certainly was not this.

"Essentially, we'd get to have our own proper student council, own proper principal, the teachers would actually have to be teachers, and there wouldn't be the need to have all the tensions between us." Kumori continued, clearly their spokesperson, and good at it too. "We wouldn't need to worry about being discriminated against for no good reason."

"That, and if we're not even there, the Main Course-ers can't complain about us being everywhere all the time." Suika said. "And we won't be taking up their space, because it'll be our own."

"Would you be completely breaking away from Hope's Peak?" Azuki asked curiously. "Or would you still want to be affiliated with it?"

"That, they've still been working on, but essentially what's been decided is that perhaps it could be treated like an academy chain, Hope's Peak as the first school and whatever new name the Reserve Course comes under as the second academy, if a complete separation is untenable."

"So then, what do you think, Fumi-kun?"

This was said rather challengingly by Izanagi, who came across as an extreme grump to Azuki. _Not that I can blame you kid. But anyway, what do I think?_

It was too soon for Azuki to really mull it over, come to any conclusions, but his initial feeling was that this made sense as an answer to all the problems that had been cropping up. And now he thought about it, wouldn't Hope's Peak like that. Spread out elsewhere, the effects of their fame could spread wider. They'd probably end up creating more schools because of it, and that would also increase their fame, broaden their horizons.

As for him, for Mizuki and Mokomichi and Kumori and Mihoko and the others of their group who weren't in the room, this was it. The perfect project to channel all those weird impulses that had been ricocheting around that small room yesterday, channel them into something that wasn't _fucking murder_ , for crying out loud. There was no way that Mizuki wouldn't mention it to them all, no way that she wouldn't try and get them to show support for the idea, whether that was explicit or more implicit. So maybe it'd be forgotten, and it would become some kind of fever dream.

Azuki spent a little while longer talking to the Reps and recording their views, as well as their plans-which, for now, included writing a proposal, possibly designing a leaflet, and feeling out as many Reserve Course students as possible about the idea to see what they thought, so that there was at least a strong compelling motive to start something more official. He also thankfully got to eat some of the snacks that did actually exist and were not just a ruse to lure him there.

"Well then, lovelies," Azuki finished up. "Just give me the word, and I'll have this edited and up as soon as possible! Until then, _merci_ and _au revoir_."

Giving his best Fumiyo-like grin, Azuki stopped recording, nodded at them all, and quickly left.

 **…**

There was a breeze as Minah approached the street that, according to her phone, the police station was located. She steeled her shoulders, took a deep breath, and continued walking. But then, seeing it there, with the steps leading up to the sleek looking glass doors and the official sign, something made her pause. She was someone who believed fully in the police, and their role in making sure the world turned as it was meant to, in righting wrongs.

 _But…._

Minah took a deep breath. _They're just venting…_ Keiko had said. And though she couldn't quite believe that, at the same time, it was enough to hold her back. Nothing had been done yet, had it? Nothing finalised. _But…if they do eventually do something, and I didn't step up when I could have, then am I not as much to blame as they are?_ And yet, Minah knew that a single instance was not enough to judge things upon. Snap judgements were never enough to really understand anything.

And it had certainly not been a snap judgement that they had made yesterday. A decision, perhaps, but the motivations behind it had been building and building and….

"Right," she murmured to herself. "Let's just take a moment…"

She looked around her, and spotted a bench across the street, at the edge of what appeared to be some sort of communal grassy area (it was too small and sparse to really be considered a park). Crossing the road quickly, she went and sat there. For a moment, she allowed herself to lean back, and close her eyes. Then, she sat up, and tried to work up…what? The courage? The motivation? The justification? Whatever it was she needed, she tried to work it up, so she could cross back the other way, walk up to the police station, and tell whoever was inside that she needed help to stop something horrible. But, every time she tried, something else or other failed her, and she ended up sitting back down. In the end, she gave up, hating herself for it, and just sat there.

The time ticked by, and she remained there, all the possibilities whirling around and around her head as the world continued to go past her. Once or twice, people gave her an odd look, but then they too moved on, carrying on with her day while she just sat there. It felt as if she'd end up frozen there forever, paralysed by a conflict she couldn't even name.

"Yo!"

Minah jumped as someone suddenly sat down next to her. She jumped, then put a hand over her heart, took a few deep breaths, and turned to see Kaneda grinning at her.

"Didn't expect to see you here!" he beamed. "What's up?"

"I….um…"

Minah felt her mouth go dry, her words disappear. Kaneda frowned at her, then gave her a grin.

"Here, I have snacks."

Minah didn't even realise she was hungry until Kaneda thrust a vending-machine packet of melon bread at her. Gratefully, she ripped it open and tucked in. Kaneda looked around him, and then his gaze rested on the police station. Minah tensed, then immediately tried to un-tense.

"My mother and father work there, you know," Kaneda said casually. "Well, they end up in the field a lot, but still."

Kaneda prattled on a little bit more about his parents' occupation, grinning all the while, before all of a sudden he tilted his head, and his expression became a lot more sombre.

"Did you go in there?"

Minah looked at him, and Kaneda looked back at her, still very serious. The seconds ticked by, and then, after swallowing a mouthful, she shook her head

"No."

"Oh, good! I knew you wouldn't! "

The sunny smile returned. But somehow, to Minah, this felt worse. Because with words like that, she knew she had lost her chance.

 **…**

It didn't take very long for Mizuki to write up the notes from the Reserve Course Representatives meeting, not just because of Mokomichi's help and Hana's unexpectedly sharp insights, but because the plan itself was just in infancy. _Much like our other plans. Speaking of which…_

"Alright, I suppose we should move onto writing up yesterday." Mizuki said with a sigh. "I didn't get a chance to do it yesterday after coming home, though I do have the notes."

"Aren't the notes enough?" Hana asked.

"Not really," Mizuki said. "They're mostly rather scrambled, so if I get them into some kind of order then we know what we can do next."

"There isn't really much that can be written though, is there? We didn't really decide anything." Mokomichi said. "Not anything tangible."

"We decided we are going forward with the plan to kill, and that the plan will necessarily involve some sort of abduction first, rather than something more immediate and dramatic."

"Mostly because even for you guys, it'd be extremely hard to acquire guns." Mokomichi remarked.

"Shishikane-san's family probably could, and so could Kagane-sempai's, but that's besides the point, I think." Hana said, thoughtfully.

"I understand why Shishikane-chan, but why Kagane?" Mokomichi wanted to know.

"I think it's because his parents are with the police." Mizuki replied as she typed.

"Ahhh."

"Nonetheless, it's illegal enough as it is, what we're doing. It's probably best to not muddy the waters more." Mizuki continued.

 _As if kidnapping isn't also a separate atrocity on its own._ A little part of her felt separated from the rest of her, watching on the side-lines, wanting to reach forward and shake her for sitting there so casually and typing notes and discussing ideas with Mokomichi and Hana as if those notes were any old meeting notes, as if this were any old TEP session.

"I don't quite understand what they all meant by a game though," Hana remarked at one point, pointing to the comments that Mizuki was typing, that had originally been made by Shino.

"I think that was them…being them…" Mizuki shrugged. "But I kind of get the idea…if we are going to go for a drawn out process, there is some value in adding a little flair, just to heighten the emotions and such."

"Heighten the emotions?" Mokomichi echoed.

Mizuki looked at him, sensing some kind of mocking in his voice. He just looked back at her, and she sighed. Hana also watched her, but was frowning slightly.

"Well, that's a dramatic way of putting it, but it's sort of the point, isn't it? Something to make them sit up and finally take notice for once."

"But like this, though…." Hana murmured.

"I know," said Mizuki. _Oh, I know._ "But after yesterday, I'm not so sure it's so easy to just say that."

"But you sound so…okay with it?" Hana asked.

"Of course I'm not okay with this!" Mizuki exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Of course I'm not…but…"

"But?" Mokomichi asked, an eyebrow raised.

Mizuki groaned, rubbed her head, trying to think of the words she needed to explain how she felt because suddenly, it felt like all of them were rushing in, heightened. But moments passed, and she admitted defeat.

"I don't know."

The words came out as almost a whisper. Mokomichi watched her carefully, while Hana looked from her to him and back again. She then checked her phone, and leapt up.

"I need to go!" she exclaimed.

"I'll let you ou-"Mizuki began to rise, but Hana shook her head.

"No, I can-"

"I need to lock the door anyway, it's okay."

Mizuki followed Hana, and allowed herself to be distracted by the process of waiting for Hana to get her bits together, saying goodbye to her, and then closing and locking the door before going back into the kitchen. She sat down on her chair heavily, and sighed. For a long moment, she just sat there, while Mokomichi waited and she tried to pull herself together. Mokomichi was calm, apparently prepared to wait however long she took, but she herself couldn't wait, and her head started to hurt.

"These are drastic measures, right?" she asked eventually, gesturing to her laptop.

Mokomichi nodded.

"Sure."

"So, if we're lucky, we won't have to do anything."

Mokomichi frowned at that, and Mizuki hurried to clarify, though even to her, the thought process was foggy. _Still, it is better than nothing._

"We'll keep going with the planning, in the background of the separation plans and whatever else we are doing. Just in case it does turn out we need to go drastic. But if our other efforts have an impact, if we have an impact…..then we can pull the plug."

"I don't think some of the others will want to pull the plug."

"No. But they will. They'll have to, if things change."

Mokomichi didn't say anything to that for a long moment. Then, he nodded slowly.

"I get it." he said, slowly. "Sometimes, you need to pretend, right?"

" _Pretend_?"

Mizuki bristled at that, and glared at Mokomichi. He seemed unruffled as he leaned in closer, just a smidgen, but enough to make the air between them crackle with tension.

"Don't you think we're already at that point? The point of no return?"

"No." Mizuki shook her head firmly. "No. We're not. "

Another moment of silence, of crackling air. Then, the fight went out of her, and her shoulders sagged, and she found herself leaning a little too.

"I have to believe we're not." She managed to say in a whisper. "So maybe I am pretending, a little. But is that so wrong?"

"No."

The answer was so simple and direct it took Mizuki aback. She blinked, and then straightened. The moment was over.

"Well, regardless." she said, trying to go for brisk. "We shall just have to see how things play out, either way."

"Fair enough." Mokomichi shrugged, before changing the subject. "So, what are you going to say to the principals about the separation plan?"

"I'll probably just stick to a very simple email." Mizuki said, cautiously, and invite them to arrange a further discussion with me.

"But you're not asking for permission, as such?"

Mizuki shook her head.

"I guess it's more like a heads-up. I mean, in the end they have the power to decide…well, apart from their advisors, I guess. So whether it actually works in the end is down to them. But I don't want it to blindside."

"That's courteous of you."

Mizuki shrugged at that, pulling a face.

"I…well…." _I need to give them a chance, at least, right? Even despite everything…_ "I guess this is a type of pretending, too. Because I don't think they're all bad, but they've seriously failed in living up to being good. Even if I haven't wanted to admit it."

Mokomichi didn't say anything to that. Instead, he sighed, and got up.

"Well, I'd best be off now myself, so…well. Take a break, Teranaga."

"Ah, I'll see you out."

Mizuki went to open the door for him, and waited for him to slip on his shoes and pick up his school bag. _Don't go,_ she fought the sudden urge to say as he stepped across the doorway, but something must have shown, because when he went to wave, he paused, studied her again, then instead put a hand on her shoulder briefly, before nodding and leaving. She watched his retreating back for a moment, and then closed the door. Once it was locked, she walked back to where she had left her laptop and stared at it for a long, long time.

 _Pretending, huh?_

Mizuki did not want to contemplate what that really meant. Right now, she was not sure she could. So, instead, she ignored Mokomichi's advice, and went straight back to work.


	42. Something Sparks

**I decided to double update mostly because I am pretty excited about the set of events that are to come, and honestly I have had this chapter in particular sitting around completed for a while, though it has gone through some modifications during that time. Though, the modifications between this version and the last completed version is literally a couple of sentences to account for some stuff last chapter that I hadn't planned back then.**

 **Speaking of which, quick diversion to thank RioA for reading through that complete-minus-the-couple-sentences version of this chapter to give me reassurance that it all made sense! I really appreciate it, Riibean!**

 **Anyway, these two chapters are quite the ride, so buckle up and enjoy!**

* * *

To Mizuki's surprise, the advisors stood up when she arrived in Hinata's office, as did Hinata and Naegi.

"I apologise for the convenience, but we will be taking today's review in a more private area, if that suits you." Hinata said.

"It does, but why do you need to?"

The meetings for reviewing her financial arrangements with Hope's Peak usually took place in Hinata's office, and though a student could theoretically come in at any time and spot the advisors-who were theoretically meant to be as behind the scenes as possible-it was easy enough to get around that. It was very, very unusual to be taken back into the parts of the school that not even the students knew about. _Well, that not even MOST of the students know of,_ Mizuki reflected, considering the map they had started to create. _But still…_

"We have sensitive matters to discuss, Teranaga-san, ones that wouldn't be suitable for discussion in public view."

Naegi looked somewhat hesitant as he said this, almost nervous. Hinata, too, seemed a little jumpy. But the advisors, as always, were implacable. Just standing there. _I wonder,_ she thought _, if this is the same place Sawada-san was taken to after the riots. More than likely, it is._ And despite all the implications of that, or maybe because of them, Mizuki simply nodded.

"Very well then."

Without a word, the advisors got up and led the way. Mizuki expected the principals to follow them, but instead, they gestured for her to go ahead. She gave them a look, curious. Naegi gave a sheepish smile, while Hinata did not react. Though, now she was looking, he did seem tenser than usual. Mizuki chose to not dwell upon that, and instead walked on, wondering what could be going on for this scenario to be happening. As she did, she mentally scanned her surroundings, wondering what details would be of use on their map, if any were at all.

Eventually, they entered the relevant room. Seven chairs were arranged around the table-four along one long side, two along the shorter side, and a single one opposite the four. Mizuki knew which one she was meant to sit at, and so she took it without waiting for it to be indicated. Sure enough, the advisors sat themselves in the four seats opposite her, while Naegi and Hinata took the remaining two.

But at first, they did not talk of anything new. Instead, the meeting was exactly what she had assumed it would be upon arriving that morning-simply a review of the various projects she was overseeing-though, interestingly, the separation proposals were not one of them. She did wind up getting a lecture from one of the advisors about her stance over the graveyard, but Naegi and Hinata (though more the former than the latter, surprisingly) stood up for her, and the advisor in question had seemed to grudgingly come around. But all the same, the meeting was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it seemed a little _too_ ordinary.

"Excuse me, but what is happening? I was under the impression that there were sensitive issues that needed discussing, but I don't see what sensitive information is here." Mizuki burst out suddenly.

"Financial matters are always sensitive, dear." One of the advisors said, looking at her pityingly.

"Well, that is true, but we have always managed just fine in our offices," Naegi said apologetically, exchanging a worried look with Hinata, who returned it as he cleared his throat.

"Yes, indeed." Hinata continued. "I think now would be a good time to talk about that matter. After all, I think we've covered all the other important things."

"Yes, yes." Another advisor said. "Then, in that case…."

The advisor turned to the one next to him.

"Could you please take the laptop out, as well as the paper copy of the files for Teranaga-san?"

"Of course."

The advisor in question lifted up the briefcase he had been carrying, and set it on the table. He punched in the code on the lock, then lifted up the lid, and first took out a sheaf of papers, and then a small silver laptop, which he opened, and spent a few moments tapping at, before turning it around to reveal a document loaded on the screen. It appeared to run to 50 pages or so, and the current page showing was simply the title:

 _THE IZURU KAMUKURA PROJECT: CENTENARY EDITION_

"As in, the founder of Hope's Peak." Mizuki stated, not entirely sure whether she was stating, or asking.

"Yes, indeed." The advisor who had taken out the laptop said. "I am sure I do not need to tell you what the great Izuru Kamukura's aims were when opening this school, exactly 100 years ago."

 _Cultivating personal talent for the sake of hope, both in and out of the school. In fact, to benefit the whole world._ Even if Mizuki had not known that particularly, with the number of times that phrase had been repeated this year to underline why the centenary was such a big deal, there was no way she wouldn't have. But she sensed they weren't exactly looking for an answer, so she just waited.

"Naturally, as well as fostering those talents, over the years we have been working hard to research these talents, and how exactly they have come into being. Principal Kirigiri's clever proposal of the Lucky Student lottery has also provided some interesting insights into the phenomenon of luck, and how that can influence things too." Another advisor added.

"One of our longest standing projects has been how to best harness these talents into their greatest form, a true SHSL Hope, if you like."

"And…this is what this is about? This, Izuru Kamukura Project?" Mizuki asked.

She looked to the principals as she asked this. Again, the worried look was exchanged, but in truth, it seemed like only Naegi had any real fear. Hinata just looked resigned.

"Yes, it is." Hinata answered, almost numbly.

 _I have a bad feeling about this._

"And what, exactly, does this project involve?" she asked, hoping she was calm. Needing to be calm.

"Well, we have given you a copy-a strictly confidential one, you understand-for your own perusal. However, the long and short of it is that we have found a way to potentially give a single person all the talents that have ever passed through Hope's Peak Academy."

"I…I'm sorry?"

"As you will see, we have not yet found a candidate, but they will be one of the Reserve Course students, naturally. As Talentless individuals, they are the perfect blank slate."

 _This…I have to be misunderstanding somehow, right? I have to be. But…_ Each and every single one of them were looking serious.

"You are talking about human experimentation?"

"Why, of course." An advisor stated.

"You're going to experiment on one of your own students?! I am fairly sure that is an ethical breach."

"Oh, do not worry dear, when the right candidate is found, they will be given a detailed briefing and a consent form to sign. Their parents will also need to be on board, but given the opportunity to become nothing less than the SHSL Hope, we do not anticipate this to be a problem." Another advisor said.

"And what happens when they become the SHSL Hope?" Mizuki asked. "What are the side effects?"

"Well…the student will no longer retain their current identity, once they are the SHSL Hope. We cannot have anything interfere with the Talent uptake process. But the details are all in there, Teranaga-san. As my colleague said before, do have a close read in your own time. For now, we need to discuss the financial arrangements for it."

"You want me to fund your experiment?" Mizuki gasped. "You want my name to be behind…behind this?"

"Well, of course. It is for the sake of making a Talentless person the most Talented ever, an opportunity that is more than any Reserve Course student could ever hope for. Are you not about the supporting of Reserve Course students?"

"Well, I think we must have had some sort of miscommunication along the way, because at no point have I ever endorsed something…something like this." Mizuki said stiffly. "I do not want any of my funding to go towards this."

"Oh? This is disappointing."

This earned a flurry of nods from the other advisors, who then looked at Mizuki coldly. She stiffened. _I need to be careful._ It was all very well fighting, but she could not let something happen to her here, with nobody aware of it. Not if she was going to actually make a difference. _What can I say?_ She looked to the principals again, but she didn't really know why. She knew that it was pointless for her to. They were not going to help her here. Slowly, she picked up the paper copy of the report, and placed it on her lap, holding onto it tightly.

"If you wish me to put funds into other areas of the school so you can divert money from there into this-though frankly, I do not think this is going to benefit the school or the wider world at all-then I can do that. But under no circumstances do I want my name attached to this, at all. "

"And what will you do for us in return, if we agree to this?"

"I have already said that I will help with other funding. And though we have very different ways of going about it, we do all just want Hope's Peak to flourish, so you have my word on that."

"Teranaga-san, I think you know what we are implying."

The words came out knife-sharp, but smooth. Mizuki gulped, did not respond immediately. She had to be calm. She had to make sure this ended as well as she could. If that meant lying as well as these people most likely were, then…

"It will not benefit the Teranaga Foundation if my name is attached to what you have to admit will come across as a controversial project to others. Even in the context of whistleblowing. You will have my silence, if I can be given your guarantee that what I have asked for will be done. "

The advisors studied her, and one tapped his chin absently, in deep thought. Eventually, he nodded.

"Very well. But do not think just because of your unique position you can get away with a breach."

"I understand."

"Principals, could you escort her back out?" the same advisor asked, as all four got up.

"Of course." Naegi said quietly.

They stood there as the four advisors left the room via a different door, before they turned back to go to Naegi' office. Mizuki didn't say a word until they got there, not trusting herself to completely explode.

"Principal Naegi, Principal Hinata, why?"

"Teranaga-san, let's sit down and tal-"

"I don't need to sit down. I just need to know-how? How can you just sit there and go along with something like this?" Mizuki asked. "As principals, how?"

"It is a good proj-" Naegi started.

"You can't truly believe that."

"It is better than using children." Hinata cut in.

"That's hardly an excuse-" Mizuki snapped, even as she wondered, _where did that come from_?.

"Do not speak to us like that!"

"Hinata-kun!"

Naegi's exclamation stopped them all in their tracks. Having geared up for an argument, Mizuki found herself trembling, restless, her limbs tightly wound. She took a deep breath, and then another. Hinata closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead for a moment, then looked towards Naegi.

"You know why it has to be this way."

"I do. But don't get angry at Teranaga-san. It isn't her fault. And really, aren't we on her side?"

"Yes, but-"

"It's okay, I'll take it from here. That's what friends are for, after all."

Naegi turned back to Mizuki with a smile that would have looked like his usual ones if not for the fact that his gaze were strained.

"The best we can offer you is an assurance that your money won't be used for this. We'll make it work, somehow. And you will need to be happy with that."

Mizuki pursed her lips-she could not be happy with that, at all. _How can you think this is more important than, I don't know, the very real possibility that students will be protesting that the two parts of the school become separate?_ But she would have to be accepting of it. And so, she nodded.

"Very well then."

"And naturally, confidentiality-"

"You do not need to say it. I got the message the first time." Mizuki said stiffly. "Is that all that needs to be discussed?"

"For now, yes." Naegi said. "Off you go, then."

Mizuki couldn't get out of there fast enough. Clutching the papers tightly to herself, she strode all the way to her classroom, where she knew she had a folder she could store them in. _Then, I'll need to be extra careful about carrying them around…._ They could have just sent a message to her, now she was thinking about it. If they were so concerned about secrecy, then this wasn't exactly the way to go about things.

But of course, that wasn't the issue here. The issue was…. _god, human experimentation. Human experimentation._ Mizuki wanted to scream.

When she got to class she quickly found the folder in her desk and slipped the papers into it, before putting the folder into her bag. Then, keeping her bag on her lap, she took her phone out, and opened up 'Shh!'. Clicking onto the group chat, she allowed herself to be distracted by the silliness of some of the previous messages:

 _Sho: THE PLACE?!_

 _Sho: WHERE IS THE PLACE?!_

 _Shino: The place_

 _Shino: The place is the place_

 _Moko(michi): This is an experience._

 _Mihoko: And it's in a place_

 _Shino: Or is it?_

There were other moments in the chat that frankly made even less sense, and each time never failed to get some sort of smile out of her. But still, her hands couldn't stop trembling as she typed and tapped and hesitated. But finally, she had a simple message, and she sent it:

 _Mizuki Teranaga: Something urgent has come up. We all need to meet as soon as possible. My house, seven pm._

Instantly, a number of replies came.

 _Moko(michi): What's wrong?_

 _Sho: ehhh? what's up?_

 _Mihoko: What's happened?_

 _I can't say anything now,_ Mizuki replied wearily _. Please just come tonight, and all will be explained._

Then, she put her phone away, and hoped that she would be able to get through the rest of the day as if the world had not just imploded.

 **…**

She could not imagine them discussing this…this atrocity over a full blown meal. She could not imagine managing to keep it down while doing so. But, knowing that it was likely that many of them would be hungry when they arrived, she found things that could be snacked upon instead, and set them up on her coffee table. Drinks, she could always arrange once they arrived, so she left it. Instead, she got ready, then checked through some emails, arranging a few meetings. For a brief moment, she considered contacting Oshino, because ever since her parents had died, if there had been a tricky situation, she had turned to him for advice. _But, knowing what I do about him, what would happen?_

"No," she decided aloud. "I'll think about that later. It's everyone here who needs to know first."

With a heavy sigh, once she'd finished going through her urgent messages, she shut down her laptop, then got out the folder that contained the printed version of the document.

 _THE IZURU KAMUKURA PROJECT: CENTENARY EDITION_

Mizuki swallowed, then got her phone, and proceeded to scan the page. She then turned to the next page, read it carefully, scanned it, moved onto the next one, and repeated. Despite always having been a good reader, the words swam and blurred in her mind. But she got enough from it to be even sicker than she had been before she'd read it properly, to be angrier. Her hands shook as she combined all the separate scans into one file, and then sent it on their 'Shh!' group with a message:

 _Mizuki Teranaga: This is what I need to talk to you about. If you have time to start to read it on the way, then you can, but I'll be able to explain more once we are all here._

A reply came almost immediately.

 _Azuki: what the actual fuck?_

 _Sho: you read it already_

 _Azuki: uh, no? just looked at the title_

 _Azuki: don't tell me that doesn't sound ominous already_

 _Sho: that's like fifty pages imma wait for an explanation_

 _Azuki:…..Weirdly, I agree with you._

 _Sosuke Mori: I think it would be prudent for us to try and read some of it on the way._

 _Shino: Of course you do._

 _Mihoko: I'll probably wait-only because I am walking here and I'd rather not bump into other pedestrians all the time._

 _Sho: faiiiiiir_

Mizuki locked her phone screen and put it on the coffee table, and then gathered the papers together, and placed them next to her phone. There were things she could have done at that point, but every time she tried, she found herself floundering, pacing, wringing her hands. _What's wrong with me?_ It was a pointless question, but she kept asking herself it, and eventually she abandoned productivity to flit restlessly from wall to wall until finally, people started arriving. Mihoko first, Yuna, Keiko and Minah next, warm and comforting with spikes of wariness. Sho arriving dragging a grumpy Azuki behind him, and Kumori and Mokomichi walking casually in a few moments after. Sosuke striding in purposefully. Shino and Emiko barrelling in, wide-eyed with excitement and outrage. Then Hana, slinking in quiet and wide-eyed, and finally Kaneda, breathless and full of apologies involving his sister's homework and losing track of the time.

"Alright," she said decisively, once she felt everyone was settled. "Thank you for coming."

"Sooo, what's all this about?" Kaneda asked.

"Um, I think she's going to tell us? That is why we are here." Azuki snarked.

"Yes. This morning I had a review meeting with the Principals and the advisors. This is usually a fairly ordinary affair, as it is simply to look at the various things I have been helping the school with. But today they wished to reveal a new project to me."

"And I'm guessing that this 'Izuru Kamukura' project is it?" Mokomichi asked.

"Yes." Mizuki said. "I know I only sent it a little while ago, but have any of you read it?"

Sosuke immediately nodded, and Keiko put her hand up hesitantly.

"I didn't read the whole thing, but I did skim, and…are Hope's Peak really into human experimentation now?"

"Human experimentation?!" Sho gasped.

"Did you just say fucking human experimentation?" Azuki spluttered.

"That's not…are you sure?" Minah asked, aghast.

"I am hearing right, right?" Mihoko wondered, looking a little dazed. "Right?"

"You are." Mizuki said, wearily. She sighed, rubbed her head absently.

"What, exactly, are they doing?" Mokomichi asked.

"They're trying to give all the Talents that have ever come through Hope's Peak to a single person." Mizuki said. "Essentially this will involve altering their brain in various ways, and erasing their personality and memory."

"….that doesn't make sense on many levels, and I can't even explain why." Mihoko remarked after a moment.

"That does sound like a remarkably risky procedure." Sosuke remarked. "Though, if Hope's Peak are formulating something like that, they would have planned it carefully."

"It does seem like it." Mizuki acknowledged grimly.

"Human experimentation is dangerous, though!" Yuna exclaimed.

"Yes, that would be the problem here, sweetie." Emiko said patronisingly.

"Well, it depends, really. Clinical trials for new medicines and treatments could technically be regarded as human experimentation. But effort is made to make sure it doesn't harm people." Keiko piped up.

A few of them nodded at that, and Mizuki was one of them.

"But," she said. "This is not one of them. This is exploitation, pure and simple."

She then went on to explain what she had been told at the meeting, and how it had ended. Though it pained her to do so-especially as Shino seemed triumphant once she did-she talked of the Principal's responses to her protests against it. And then, with some input from Sosuke and Keiko, she explained the summary of the paper.

 _-Understandably, large-scale, societal backlash would be inevitable if information of the project was leaked to the public-_

 _-The Project must reach completion by any means necessary-it has been delayed for far too long already-_

 _-will not be held liable for irreversible harm-_

She didn't know how she managed to explain it so blandly, as if this was any old meeting, any ordinary project. But somehow, she did, and when she had finished, she could have sworn that every single face had drained of colour. Even Sosuke, beneath his composure, seemed so.

There was a beat of silence, and then they all scrambled to speak, all at once.

"But why?"

"I knew this school was up to no good!"

"I don't understand how this is meant to help!"

"When is all of this going to actually happen? Are they actually looking for people?"

"How are they gonna explain it to people?"

"How are they going to keep it secret?!"

"This is fucked up! Seriously fucked up."

And on, and on, and on. Mizuki could not calm them down. And in truth, she did not want to. All their tangled words and rage, they were hers, just externalised. Even though she was not letting out the feelings herself, she could feel the release of them, lightening her.

"I don't know how we can say that we were mad for talking about the killing game, after something like this."

This comment stopped all the clamour instantly. Everyone turned to Kumori, Mizuki included. He regarded them all with a sober expression, his eyes calm, but resolute. He held his body still-almost too still.

"Uh…I'm sorry, what?" Azuki spluttered.

"Go on." Mizuki encouraged, quietly, feeling the calm seep into her, though it was not consoling.

 _Far from it._

"Hope's Peak is willing to toy with lives. We've seen that already. Not just this, but Riko-kun's suicide…" Kumori's voice trembled. "The riots we experienced, and the Parade before that. All the deaths over the years that were most likely suicides. The arrangement with the graveyard. A school is meant to care about the lives of its students. It is meant to nurture them and prepare them for the world, so that they become fully-rounded human beings who can lead fulfilling, happy lives."

"Kurogane-kun….." Yuna murmured, worriedly.

"I agree." Keiko interjected.

"But it hasn't, has it?" Shino asked, pointedly. "That's what you're trying to say."

"Exactly, Hisakawa-sama." Kumori nodded. "Exactly."

"I…so, were really going to…?" Hana asked.

"We must." Kumori said.

"I agree." Kaneda said. "It seems the most logical response at the moment. Fighting fire with fire, and all of that."

"Wouldn't the more logical thing to be to work out who might be targeted, out of the Reserve Course students, and try to protect them?" Mihoko remarked.

"I…yes, it would." Kumori said, after a moment.

"Or even try to expose this. Or stop it." Shino said, flippantly. "Though, with all that ominous crap about societal backlash, it might be a tad dangerous."

"Not that will stop us!" Sho cheered.

Though he grinned at them all appealingly, earned nothing more than thirteen blank looks, Mizuki's the blankest of all. Not even Shino and Emiko, his collaborators in mischief, offered a glimmer of encouragement. Sho's laugh faltered, and he fell silent, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Everyone else did, too, and after shuffling and sighing and all manner of worried looks flitting all over all their faces (Mizuki felt the expressions on hers, rather than saw, but knew that this what the others would be seeing) before eventually, all eyes rested upon her.

"Well then, Teranaga?"

Mizuki tilted her head curiously at Mokomichi.

"You are the instigator of all this, after all." Sosuke said, explaining what Mokomichi could not (or chose not) to explain. "Our leader, am I right?"

"You have certainly been instrumental in getting us all together. Please, tell us what to do, Teranaga-sama." Kumori pleaded.

 _I just never imagined things would ever come to this. What do I do now?_

But as she looked at the faces of all these people, her team she had gathered to try and change things, the people who were something more complicated than friends, or accomplices, or anything like that, her resolve hardened. The doubts she'd had since the first mentions of their idea, they did not go away, but it was easier to push them aside, lock them in a box and keep them safe.

 _Because I know what I must do._

"With some care and planning, and further information on the situation, I believe that we can all do this. But…I do not think we should hope for a happy ending in this. Not a truly happy ending, anyway. Do you know why? I suspect many of you here might be thinking the same thing, but listen carefully, and remember this, whatever you decide is right to do, and whatever we do next."

Mizuki paused and took a deep breath, and then delivered the conclusion of her verdict:

"Hope's Peak Academy has been corrupted."

 **…**

There was not much that could really be said after that. Only yet more expressions of disbelief and horror, only rage and just going around and around in circles that seemed hopeless. Only the assertion that there was little they could do but wait, and hope, and bide their time, and promising each other they would not do anything reckless or anything alone. And above all, the feeling that their newly conceived idea, of this 'killing game', was more than justified. That horror could only be combated with more horror, no matter how bad it was. Because Hope's Peak Academy had been corrupted, and there was no sense in thinking any less of it.

Eventually, one by one, they all left with varying farewells. With each departure, Mizuki felt herself wilt just a little more, the steely exterior she'd put on to guide them crumbling. She wanted nothing more than to sleep, but she knew she could not. And probably would not. _There's got to be something I can do, some laws that I can invoke to protect us, some way of using our collective wealth to shield us, something…._ Mizuki let out a frustrated breath, and closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them and absently turning around to see that Mokomichi was still there, sitting on the chair she had dragged out from the kitchen for him.

Mizuki blinked, non-plussed.

"You're still here?"

"Evidently." Came the wry answer.

Mizuki blinked again, and tilted her head at him.

"I thought you'd left with the others."

"Nope."

Mokomichi regarded her, in that careful, piercing way he always had. But edged with something softer, too. _It's been like that for a while, hasn't it?_ Mizuki realised suddenly. Sharp eyed he remained, but no longer looking for fault. _Yes…I think it has._

"Alright then, but why? Is there something you wanted to talk about privately?"

"No, not really."

Mizuki rolled her eyes. _Just come out with it._

"Then?"

Mokomichi didn't immediately respond, instead just looking at her for a moment, in that same soft-edged way, before eventually speaking.

"I just thought that if you're going to fall apart, you shouldn't do so alone."

Mizuki felt her cheeks go hot, and something seem to unclench in her heart, but all the same, she raised an eyebrow at Mokomichi.

"What makes you think that?"

"I know you well enough now."

"Oh, do you now?"

"Yes, I do."

Mizuki waited, but there was no explanation forthcoming. Instead, he simply got up and ambled to the sofa she was sitting on, settling himself next to her, at a respectable distance but still touchable without the need to reach out. Mizuki felt her cheeks become a little hotter as that observation registered in her mind. _Do I know_ you _well enough,_ she wondered.

She cast her mind back, from their encounter under the willow tree on the first day, to coming together for the TEP, forming this group of theirs. Cleaning the graveyard together, and the elusive companionship from it that had fled too easily, that she been looking for and looking for ever since. And she'd found it gradually again, hadn't she? In the graveyard again, under the willow tree again, in countless other places, over the course of time when his judgement and sharpness had morphed into something else. She'd found it.

 _I do know you well enough._

The realisation was lightening-even the spark of it made her head feel less tight than it had just moments ago. Yet, it was just something else she didn't know how to handle.

Without a word, she simply leaned her head against Mokomichi's shoulder for a moment, took comfort in the reassuring physical sensation. She felt Mokomichi's hands hesitantly rest on her back, and that felt reassuring too, but she didn't say anything, just stayed there for a moment.

When she straightened, she looked at Mokomichi, searching his face, thinking of all the things that she needed to say, about everything. But she didn't say any of it. Instead, she clutched his arms to make him pause when he started to move his hands away, and after a long moment in which they both assessed each other searchingly, his hands settled on her waist instead, while hers went to cup his face, and as if it had been inevitable all along, they kissed.

 _This, too, is a sort of pretending,_ the thought occurred to her. _Pretending that everything is fine. That this is fine._ But at the same time, she didn't care.

She did not know how long they kissed for, only that for a moment, that was all there was in the world. Just them. She knew that everything else was still there, that it would be when the moment was over. But somehow, this made it, if not all okay, then manageable. Eventually, though, they moved away from each other slightly (only slightly, still holding each other), taking a moment to breathe.

Again, Mizuki thought she should say something, but instead, didn't. Mokomichi didn't either, instead looking at her, this time with a new expression, something akin to wonder. They could have stayed like that for a while, if not for the fact that their stomachs started to rumble.

Embarrassed, Mizuki jumped back, and Mokomichi seemed flustered too, but he laughed.

"Well, it is roughly dinner time now, right?"

"More or less," Mizuki said carefully. "I'll heat something up."

She did not bother to ask if he was staying, since that was a foregone conclusion by now. Instead, she got up, attempting to subtly straighten her clothes, as if that would somehow make her feel less…giddy. She headed into the kitchen, Mokomichi behind her, and went to her freezer, looking at the batches of leftovers that she'd stored there, a little taken aback by them. _It's weird, cooking for more than one person more frequently._ After a moment perusing what she had, she eventually selected a casserole and some rice and chicken, and let them defrost while she searched out plates, cutlery and glasses.

"What do you want to drink?" she asked.

"Water's fine."

"Alright then."

Pouring water, and finding a couple of snacks, she took them to the table, and they sat down.

"Are you alright, though?" Mokomichi asked, as if picking up a conversation that had lapsed. Though, in a way, that was the case. Just that it had been wordless, and now they were using words.

"I…" Mizuki sighed. "No. Not particularly."

"Mhm." Mokomichi nodded. "I wish I knew what to say."

"So do I. But perhaps there isn't anything, for now."

"Perhaps the only way really is this…" Mokomichi trailed off, and Mizuki finished the sentence off in her mind- _the killing game_.

"Maybe it is."

"But you don't want it to be though, do you."

"No. No, I don't."

 _But…_

They sipped at their water and nibbled at their snacks for a while, and then Mizuki got up to sort out the meals, warming them up and dividing them between the plates, before bringing them over. There was a quickly murmured 'thanks for the food', before they returned to silence to eat. _This is nice,_ Mizuki thought a couple of times, occasionally looking up and catching Mokomichi's eye, earning her a small smile that made her feel warm, and , if she dared admit it, more than a little tingly. But all too soon, they had finished.

"Do you want a fruit? Or a dessert, maybe? I have some chocolates." She asked as she gathered their plates and took them to the sink.

"Nah, I'm good." Mokomichi said.

Mizuki nodded at that, annoyed at herself for feeling disappointed. Mokomichi tilted his head slightly, then to her surprise, said:

"I could stay, though."

"It's a school night." Mizuki responded, a little dumbly, turning away from the sink. "You don't even have anything with you."

 _Excuses, excuses._

Mokomichi shrugged, then hugged her.

"If you want me to though, I can. I could always go and get some things, and return." He murmured.

This would not exactly be a quick pop around the corner journey, and Mizuki felt as if she should refuse, tell him it was fine. But it had been such a long day, and he had been the only good thing in it, pretence or otherwise. _And if I'm being honest, I want…._ what she wanted, she was not quite ready to put into words, even in her own head. But she knew what it was, completely and utterly.

"Only if you want to." She whispered back.

Mokomichi released his hold on her, stepped back and looked at her, long and searching. Inscrutable, even now. But she didn't mind.

"Of course it is."

 **…**

While he was gone, Mizuki quickly got the washing up out of the way, then went back to the living room to gather up the papers she had shown to the others and hurriedly took them to the bedroom, locking them away and releasing a long-held breath once she had. Then, after evaluating the state of her bed with a critical eye, she went to the cupboard she kept her bedding, and pulled out a spare pillow and a spare quilt. She moved her pillow to the right side of the bed, then once she'd found a pillow cover for the spare pillow, that went on the left side. The quilt she rolled up as thin and long as she could make it-not without some difficulty-and then she placed that length way down the middle. An admittedly makeshift way of making two beds out of one, but it would do as a sort of compromise.

 _For tonight, anyway._ It was a thought that surprised her, but she could not contemplate it more. Not properly. She just needed to get through the night.

It was only after that she showered and changed into her pyjamas and dressing gown, before, at a loss as to what else to do, she took her laptop to the living room, determined that she do something useful while waiting. But when the doorbell finally rang, she was up like a shot.

"Sorry, I took a little longer. I decided to wash at my place."

"Oh, no, you shouldn't have, you could have easily used my bathroom…." Mizuki said as she shut the door and Mokomichi took his shoes off.

"It's fine, it doesn't matter. I'll probably change in your bathroom though," he replied, holding up an overnight bag. "Speaking of which, where will I sleep? The sofa"

"No." Mizuki responded, abrupt as possible even as her cheeks heated again.

"Then…."

Mizuki simply chose to lead him to the bedroom, and let him see the bed for himself.

"What is _that_?" he asked, laughter in his voice as he pointed to the rolled up quilt.

"To separate the sides!" she spluttered defensively. "So it's like, we're sharing, but not properly. I heard Yorokobi-san talking about how she advised a new couple to do that for some reason or other and I thought it'd be appropriate, under the circumstances."

"It didn't strike me that you thought along the same lines of Yorokobi." He smirked

"Well, not as such, but, you know…."

"Yeah, I get it. "

"Y-you do?"

Mokomichi nodded seriously, no longer smirking. Mizuki waited, but he didn't say anything, instead, for the first time, showing some embarrassment, fidgeting shyly. _It's fine,_ she tried to convey _, I know that you know._ On an impulse, Mizuki kissed Mokomichi again-only briefly this time-then stepped back and smiled. She hadn't thought she'd be able to smile today.

"We can talk more about it in the morning. But, essentially, yes."

"Of course."

Mokomichi put his bags next to Mizuki's wardrobe, and pulled his pyjamas out of them before going to the bathroom to change. Mizuki hung her dressing gown up, then climbed into the side of the bed she had designated as hers, and sat waiting until he returned a few moments later. Yawning slightly, he climbed into the other side, but did not lie down straight away.

"I wouldn't really know for sure, but hopefully it might be easier to think of something we can do in the daylight." Mokomichi said. "Don't things often look different in light?"

"It all seems equally grim to me." Mizuki sighed. "But I still don't think that there really will be anything."

 _And, for now, I don't want to think about it at all._

"But let's leave it for now, yeah? Forget for tonight?"

 _It's not right for me to forget._ But, wanting it badly, as she wanted so many other things, she nodded, and lay down. Mokomichi followed suit, turned so that he was facing her. A couple of moments went past as they looked at each other, and then quietly, Mokomichi put one of his hands on the quilt barrier.

"This won't 'violate' any boundaries or anything, right?" he asked, a slight smirk in his voice.

Mizuki managed to smile at that once again, and shook her head, covering his hand with hers.

"We should actually sleep now." She whispered.

"Right." He whispered back.

And somehow, for the first time in a long while, Mizuki did indeed manage to sleep.

* * *

 **Some of the Izuru Kamukura Project quotes are courtesy of Komaesa's Tumblr, where some of the extracts from the canon document of the project have been translated.**


	43. Goodbye, Myself (part 1)

There was a brief, disorienting moment when Mokomichi woke up, and he couldn't remember where he was, or how he'd got there. But then his hand hit the rolled up quilt as he fumbled to sit up, and all of a sudden, he remembered. Blinking, he sat up blearily and looked at the other side of the bed, which was now empty. Frowning, he sat still and listened, and sure enough, if he strained, he could hear the far away sounds of laptop keys clacking.

 _So, that wasn't some sort of weird fever dream._

Mokomichi smiled wryly as he got out of bed and began getting ready, a little taken aback at how relieved he was, and well aware that he had jumped the gun a little in his relief. After all, he didn't know how Mizuki felt about things. Sure, the swirling emotions had seemed fairly mutual, but that was the night, and the night, all cloaked in quiet darkness, was always when things felt heightened. Perhaps now, in the cold light of day, things would be different. Wasn't daybreak when mysteries seemed less so, when dreams were diminished? He hoped not, though.

When he was dressed, he headed straight to the kitchen, and unsurprisingly, Mizuki was there, already dressed, intensely concentrating on whatever it was she was typing. For a moment, Mokomichi stood there, watching her, sticking his hands determinedly into his pockets as an attempt at restraint. It wasn't until Mizuki moved to check her phone, sitting next to her laptop, that she sensed his presence, and looked up, eyes widening in surprise.

"Oh. Good morning." She said, blushing slightly as she put her phone down.

"Morning," Mokomichi said, trying not to mirror her blushing. "Didn't sleep?"

"What? Oh, no…actually, I slept quite well…just woke up early. I'll get something for breakfast."

"No." Mokomichi interrupted quickly, on an impulse.

Mizuki, who had already begun to get up, hovered, frowning slightly. Mokomichi shrugged.

"I'll do it. Just tell me where things are."

"Are you sure?" Mizuki asked, continuing to frown.

"Yeah."

Mizuki considered this for a moment, and then sat down. The next few moments passed along mundanely, Mokomichi frying eggs and bacon, and toasting some slices of bread and buttering it, occasionally asking where particular things were and other such everyday things, while Mizuki continued to type. There was something ever so domestic about it, something ordinary and every day. It seemed something out of some slice-of-life show, except about grownups. _What life would look like, after the bullshit of high school. But, would it be her at the table?_

He shrugged the question off with some effort as he finished making breakfast, and took everything over. Mizuki looked up and gave him a small smile, and put aside her laptop. They spent a few moments eating, and then Mizuki gave a sigh, and put her fork down.

"We need to talk, don't we?"

 _Ah, here it was._

"I suppose we do." Mokomichi said, putting his own fork down. "So, I guess the first thing is…did you regret it?"

Mizuki shook her head almost instantly, looking shocked.

"No, no. It was…a bit of an impulse, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess. I certainly wasn't necessarily planning to kiss you."

"Mmm. But…I'm glad it happened, anyway." Mizuki concluded with a nod, smiling, though a little coyly. "Aren't you?"

"Mhm." Mokomichi nodded back.

There was a moment in which the two of them gazed at each other thoughtfully. Mokomichi took the time to look at her, really, properly look at her in a way that he hadn't really done before. He liked what he saw, and realised that he always had, really. Just that he had not realised it before.

"But what happens now? I'm not really…well; romance has never really been a thing, for me."

"Not for me, either." Mokomichi shrugged. "It's not a big deal to me, always figured that university would be the best place to really look for a girl. Possibly a boy, but yeah. High school is….well, you know what it's like being at this school."

"But that's the thing, isn't it? Could we really make this work?" Mizuki asked. "A relationship, with all this going on? There's so much to think about and…"

Mokomichi tilted his head as Mizuki trailed off, and rubbed her head tiredly.

"We don't need to do anything, not if you can't or don't want to, for whatever reason."

"No, I know, it's just…" Mizuki sighed again. "It felt so nice, you know. Like, for a moment, all those troubles didn't exist at all. I was just happy, and then you stayed, and that felt nice too. Do you know what I mean?"

"I do."

"And I know that it'd be asking more than I could give, but to be able to have that…Mokomichi, do you know what I'm trying to say? I'm not even sure I know."

Instinctively, Mokomichi reached across, taking her hand in both of his.

"I think I do. Perhaps then, it's not a relationship in the usual sense that we need?" Mokomichi said.

"What do you mean?"

"I guess it's more like a refuge, in a way, isn't it? The way you're describing things. When things get a little too much for us-particularly for you-then there's somewhere for us to go, except it isn't a place, it's us."

"Why particularly for me?"

"You carry such a lot on your shoulders, don't you?"

Mizuki simply shrugged at that, and looked away for a moment, before returning her gaze to him.

"It's pretending, like you said before isn't it? Not us, as such," she said quickly when Mokomichi stiffened. "Not our feelings. But pretending that this is just the start of an ordinary relationship, that everything is fine…"

"I see…I think."

Mokomichi did have to turn it over in his mind for a moment, but he did, in the end, get it. Who knew what the future would hold, especially considering the dangerous turn revelations had taken. This Izuru Kamukura project was serious business, and a secret one at that.

"Okay." Mizuki let out a breath, and put her other hand over his for a moment, before removing it. "So, are we telling others, or not?"

"It isn't private, but it's none of their business either, is it?" Mokomichi responded instantly.

Mizuki's mouth quirked up slightly at that.

"That's true."

"Just one thing though."

"Yeah?"

"Next time I stay over, can we lose the quilt barrier?"

This made Mizuki go bright red, and Mokomichi couldn't help but smirk slightly as she took a moment to compose herself. Eventually she sighed, and decisively freed her hands from his so she could take a sip from her coffee before answering.

"I wanted to save that for another conversation, and I think for the most part I still will. But for the time being…yes."

Mokomichi shrugged, smiling.

"That's good enough."

This, apparently, settled matters, and so they returned to eating, and then to getting themselves sorted out for school. With their bags ready, and shoes on, Mizuki reached to open the door, when on an impulse, Mokomichi called out.

"Mizuki?"

She turned, hand still on the doorknob.

"Could I kiss you?"

Mizuki stared at him for a moment, and he couldn't quite interpret what it was that her expression was saying. But then slowly, deliberately, she put her bags down, and walked over to him, before then leaning in to kiss him, with no hesitation. And this time, being a conscious decision and not the result of being swept up in something he hadn't been able to fully label, it was better. And Mokomichi realised, the cold light of day had diminished nothing. Instead, it'd made things clearer.

 _And hopefully, that will last._

 **…**

Minah and Hana sat on the bench in near silence for a while, taking the time to catch their breaths and drink water. Minah snuck a sideways glance at the smaller girl, her hair tied back in a little ponytail, which, ridiculously, had rendered her almost unrecognisable to Minah when they'd bumped into each other earlier.

"So, do you run a lot?" Minah asked. "You seem like you know what you are doing?"

Hana's eyes widened and she appeared to be hesitant to offer her answer, staring into her bottle for a while before finally doing so.

"Not a lot, as such. From time to time, but I've started running most mornings now. What about you?"

"Running isn't usually one of the activities I do to keep in shape, but I've taken it up recently. It's…mind clearing, isn't it?"

Minah had meant this to be a casual admission, but she found herself holding her breath once the words left her lips, tensing as Hana's head jerked up and their eyes met. Hana nodded.

"It is. That's why you've started?"

"Mhm."

"Fair." Hana shrugged. "It's why I've begun to do so more regularly."

It didn't need to be said by them that there was plenty in their minds that needed clearing.

"You're quite well-rounded, aren't you?" Minah said, admiringly. "You're clever, you're really good at art, and you're physically adept, too."

"I wouldn't really say that." Hana spluttered, blushing furiously.

"Oh, it's true," Minah reassured. "I mean, after all, even though it got cancelled you were selected for the statue designing initially. Then you designed the Reserve Course Representative badges, our own mascot, and the posters you made to pique interest in the idea of separating the schools…that takes a lot of talent."

Minah meant every word of this, though in truth she had to admit she liked the posters-stark black and neon, revealing just enough to spark curiosity but keeping plans to themselves-rather than the mascot of the cutesy but still sinister bear that Hana had almost finalised. But still, either way, she was good.

"I'm not clever, though, and the running is just…that."

Hana had smiled when Minah had described her artistic endeavours, but her eyes had quickly dimmed, and the smile had faded as she refuted that compliment.

"What did you place in your end-of-terms, again?"

"Third in my class, but only 12th in my year group."

"There we go!" Minah exclaimed. "That is pretty good!"

"Mmmm."

Minah waited. If Hana wanted to say more, then fine, but if not, who was she to push? Especially as she clearly hadn't planned to have company when out running.

"It's…never good enough, though."

"Who says?" Minah asked gently.

Hana looked at Minah, biting her lip before sighing.

"My parents." She whispered. "I don't fit their image of what success should look like, especially not from someone of my status, such as it were. But that's not fair to tell you, is it?"

"No, it's fine." Minah shook her head. "I know that parents aren't always as good as they should be. But…if I was your parent, I'd be proud, for what it's worth. There's lots of different definitions of success, and honestly, they're all ongoing. You don't just reach success and then stagnate, because that's not true success. "

"I…that won't make a difference to them. "

"I….well, but it's something you should consider, I think. And if you need any encouragement. Well, you can always come to me. And you've become good friends with Sakurai-sempai, Shishikane-san and Hisakawa-san, right? I'm sure they think you're pretty good too."

Hana blinked at this, then smiled warily.

"Yeah, they're good friends. And…thanks."

Hana blushed slightly, and tucked a strand of her fringe back behind her ear, before checking the time on her sports watch and getting up.

"I need to go back and get ready for school." She apologised. "See you later?"

"Yes, yes, of course. I should be getting back myself for the same reasons. Perhaps we can make plans to meet up and go running together another morning?"

Hana blinked at this, clearly gobsmacked. But then, she nodded, and once again gave that wary smile, this time a fraction brighter.

"Alright then. See you later."

Hana jogged off, and Minah sat for a couple of moments before getting up herself and then setting off at a slow jog back to Hope's Peak. Though the time was soon coming for her to get ready, she was not in a rush, so she decided to take a slow route back. At this time of the morning, there were hardly any others out and about, except a couple of teachers heading in, and a smattering of early-bird students also getting ready for their day. A few waved at her, but others just got on with their days, and so Minah did too.

But as she headed to the courtyard, she heard the sounds of a heated conversation. The two male voices were speaking in a heated whisper, and the words themselves were not discernible, apart from a few here and there.

"….continued costs…"

"…..don't….cover that?..."

"….nothing good…..free…."

Minah was curious, yet at the same time knew it was none of her business, so she decided to turn when suddenly, one of the voices yelled.

"But what more do I need to do? I'm a representative, I get good grades, I'm involved in the school community!"

It was Isamu, and so Minah froze for a moment, before ducking behind a tree.

"You need to be quiet, this is a confidential conversation. I know you are frustrated, but it could cause so much trouble if we were to be overheard."

 _Principal Naegi? What….?_

"With all due respect, you didn't answer my question!" Isamu said, lower this time but still audible.

"Well, as I have told you, this will end up benefitting your family, so do think about it, alright? Have a good day, Asai-kun."

Minah held her breath as she heard the footsteps of what she assumed to be Naegi walked away, gradually fading. She heard Isamu kick at the ground and let out a groan, and quickly, she scurried out and jogged forward until she could see him-and he, her.

Isamu stared at her for a moment, and then went completely pale.

"How much of that did you hear?"

Minah frowned at him.

"Are you okay?"

"How much did you hear?"

Instantly, Minah thought of Manaka, and how she admitted that she'd been worried about Isamu, that something was on his mind. Her heart clenched, and her stomach churned, both seeming inexplicable to her, but she took a deep breath and tried to portray calm.

"I didn't, really, not until right at the end." She said, which was more or less the truth.

"Ahhh…" Isamu raked a hand through his hair, then just shook his head helplessly. "Look, it doesn't matter? Is there training this afternoon?"

"Yes, there is. But, Asai-kun-"

"Alright, I'll see you then!"

And as Isamu ran away, as if being chased, all Minah could do was stare. But she could not ignore the creeping concern.

 **…**

Emiko sighed as she head the landline ring downstairs. There was only one person it could really be in this day and age-the same person who'd insisted on the landline being there in the first place. As she listened to Masako hurriedly rush over and pick it up, she idly finished changing her username on 'Shhh!' and went to the chat.

 _EmiEmiKoKo: uggggh, Daddy Dearest is calling to check up on me. Wish me luck not dying of boredom._

 _Shino: Oh noooooo_

 _Sho: Don't worry, we'll keep you entertained._

 _Shino: Lies!_

 _Sho: No_

 _Shino: HOW DO I KNOW YOURE NOT LYINH_

 _Shino: LYING_

 _Sho: trust me_

 _Shino: I refuse_

"Emiko-sama! It's your father!" Masako called up a few seconds later, just as she predicted.

"I'm coming!"

With yet another sigh, Emiko heaved herself off the bed and made a point of lumbering slowly down, though she did remember to give a grateful smile to Masako as she took the receiver off of her. Masako disappeared back into the background, and Emiko spoke into the receiver.

"Hello, father. How are you?"

"Well now…"

He didn't waste the opportunity to launch into a deep, egotistical account of his various exploits and conquests, such as they were. Emiko didn't even bother to pay close attention to the details, instead just nodding and making all the right noises in the right places, as she was trained to do. The details, should she need them, would no doubt embed themselves right into her brain, ready for that moment. It was how it always was.

"Now, Emiko," her father said all of a sudden, jolting her out of her reverie of daydreaming and messaging stupid crap to the others. "There's something very important I need to tell you. It will have incredible implications for the Shishikane greatness, and it will all rest on you."

"Do tell me more, Father." Emiko said, injecting her voice with as much sarcasm as she could as she put her phone down, intrigued despite herself.

Her father was apparently too excited about whatever it was he had to say, for he barely noticed. _Whatever, it'll be something to mock later._

"As you know, I am close associates with Takafumi Tsukamoto, who just so happens to be one of the associates of Hope's Peak. Likely you won't have seen him around the school, since his role is of course a more backstage one, shall we say, but nonetheless, he is more instrumental to the running of the school than the figureheads. In any case, he is well aware both of your existence and our power, and he has informed me of something that will ensure you an SHSL Title, give us true power, and thus eliminate all the competition."

Emiko's blood ran cold. It was a vague description, but no, it couldn't be…

"And what might this be?"

"Well, from what I understand it is in the very early stages…"

And sure enough, he went on to describe precisely what Emiko had just started dreading. A part of her switched off, but not because of the inanity-but because she had heard it all before. Every last, sordid detail, and more besides. On that day, just two days ago, when Mizuki had gathered them all in her living room so unusually distraught. She had heard it all before.

 _I thought the worst thing that could happen would be ending up like Manaka Takigawa. Oh, how wrong I was._

Again, keeping up her usual schtick of appearing as if she was listening, Emiko calmly-far too calmly-picked up her phone again, and

 _Moko(michi): stare into the ribbit, you'll get croaked._

 _Azuki: That's one of the most threatening things I've heard ever_

 _Azuki: Also what the hell do you mean?_

 _Moko(michi): ribbit_

 _Sho: Who'd've thunk it, he's as weird as the rest of us._

 _Moko(michi): Glad to be of service._

 _Flower: I'm confused too, but that was funny._

 _Kaneda-senpai: Sorry to break into the fun, but this is important. My parents just sat me down and told me they were approached by the principals with a 'special offer' that would secure my future considering that my 'brain doesn't quite work like others'._

 _Azuki: pfft that's a bit rude_

 _Kaneda-senpai: I know, right?_

 _Kaneda-senpai: But I am sure you know what they were implying. Either way, my parents have categorically refused._

Emiko allowed herself a smile at this, but then as she read Kaneda's messages the amusement rapidly disappeared. _It's happening, it's really…oh god._ She steeled herself, knowing that now, more than ever, she was going to need them. She was going to need their group, and the power that they were trying to cultivate. So, with a deep breath, she typed.

 _EmiEmiKoKo: I need your help. I need to escape._

 _Moko(michi): What's wrong?_

 _Sho: oh noooo, is he really that boring?_

 _EmiEmiKoKo: This is serious!_

 _EmiEmiKoKo: My father's been approached the same way senpai's parents' have been-but unlike yours, they're fully intending to accept._

 _Sho: oh shit._

 _Kaneda-senpai: Oh no, really?_

 _EmiEmiKoKo: I am on the PHONE listening to him describe the project almost word for word what we read, yes I am sure!_

 _Shino: Alright, alright, let's do this. You'll come to the panic room, of course._

And it was this way that Emiko managed to remain calm as she continued the talk with her father. Between them, they managed to hash out the exact specifics of when and how Emiko would escape, and Emiko committed it all to memory. All the while, she continued to nod, make appropriate noises, and remember to smile whenever the maid or one of the other staff walked by.

Once she was finally, finally allowed to hang up, she rushed upstairs, and pilfered all her bags and purses for any loose cash, and stockpiled it all in one purse, which she tucked away in a safe place for later. She then looked for her most plain, generic bag and clothes (which was quite a task, all things considered) and put them in the same place, before going on her computer and checking her overseas accounts. She had, naturally memorised all the details, so she downloaded them to a USB, sent a copy over to Shino, then wiped her computer completely. Her phone, too, would be wiped and left behind with it, but that was for later. The USB went in the purse, and then Emiko looked around her room. _What else?_

Remembering the window, she went and opened it a notch, so that later on she could just oush it wider and there wouldn't be any noise. For a moment, she leaned out of the small gap she'd already created, mentally reviewing her route. Feeling Greg head-butt her ankle, she shook the thoughts away, knelt down and stroked the little cat.

"Sorry buddy," she murmured. "They'll realise something's up if I take you, won't they? And I want them to freak out, just a little."

 _Yes, I want my family to act like a family, to actually care that their daughter is missing, not that they've lost an asset. Not that it'll make me change my mind about them, but I would like to see it, at least. Just a little._

She stroked Greg for a little while longer, then got up and went back to her phone to quickly shoot off a message to Shino about extracting him from the home later on, once she was well and truly 'missing'. At that point, Masako called up to let her know it was time for dinner, so Emiko scooped Greg up and went down.

At dinner, she once again had to act 'normal', but deliberately acted as if she was a little tired, as if she'd had an extremely busy day at school that had drained her. In truth, that aspect was a little easier. But either way, Masako and the cook totally bought it, and showered her with so much fondness and affection that she couldn't help but feel guilty. She was sure that they wouldn't want her to be signed up to some brainwashing experiment, and if they had been her parents, they wouldn't have even considered it. But they were not her parents-they were just the staff. She couldn't forget. And so, she could not confide.

 _It's okay though, almost there. Almost there._

The moments after dinner were the most torturous, as she had to get ready for bed as normal, but ended up on tenterhooks as she waited for the other staff to leave, and for Masako herself to go to bed. But finally, finally, she heard the doors open and close for the last time, and then light switches go off.

 _Finally!_

She did not change out of her pyjamas-that'd be far too much of a clue that she'd left voluntarily-but instead combed her hair up into a tight, swingy ponytail. She regarded her reflection in the mirror, thinking that already, it made her look different. She grabbed the hoodie she had borrowed from Sho all those months ago from the bag of clothing she'd set aside to take with her, put it on over her pyjamas and pulled the hood up over her head. Then, she gathered said bag and purse, turned off the lights, wiped her phone, and went over to the window.

She pushed it open, as far as it would go, and prepared to clamber up onto the windowsill, when something stopped her. Quickly, she crossed back to her dressing table, grabbed the golden lion clip she had left there, and very deliberately walked back to the window, drew back her arm, and threw the clip so that it fell into the bush, disturbing some leaves but making no real sounds. She grinned as it disappeared completely and then this time she clambered out with no hesitation, landing on the ledge below, and then rolling off, landing in a crouch.

Then, she was off. Keeping to backstreets and alleyways and all the places with the least lighting that she'd used to sneak out for fun before, but never like this. But she kept going, and going, until finally, finally, she was in the back entrance to Shino's place. Ducking by a tree, she waited, and tried to settle her breathing as she waited for Shino to come.

"There you are."

Emiko almost screamed, but managed not to as Shino came over. They just grinned, and beckoned Emiko over, so they went, scaling the side of the building until they got to the window Shino had opened. Emiko tumbled in first, Shino following, and she straightened herself up and dusted herself down while Shino shut the window. Then, they led her to the panic room.

A pile of pillows and blankets had been laid out in a corner, along with a box of what looked like snacks.

"Get yourself changed out of those jammies," Shino said. "We'll need to get rid of them. Mihoko will do that, and she's bringing clothes as well, to keep you a while longer. Sawada's coming as well to help disguise you."

"Ah…yeah…right…."

Emiko just blinked, and sat down heavily. _How had things come to this?_ She sighed and tugged the hairband holding her ponytail away, letting her hair fall free once again. Then, feeling heavy, she forced herself to get up again, and lumbered to what was undoubtedly now 'her corner' to change, while Shino went back up to let in whoever else had come along to help.

Mihoko was the first to arrive just after Emiko had finished changing into a white t-shirt and black leggings, but she left soon after, bearing not just Emiko's pyjamas, but the purse and the bag she'd used to carry her essentials. Emiko now put these in one of Shino's empty cardboard boxes, and waited. But soon after, Azuki arrived, carting boxes and bags of all sorts, enough to make Emiko's eyes go wide.

"Oh my oh my, did you rob a shop?"

Azuki did not rise to this though, instead looking around with a frown that deepened with every second. Emiko frowned back, but Azuki didn't notice. Instead, when Shino came back in, eh whirled around and fixed her with an accusatory glance.

"Where's Otsuki?"

"What?"

Shino looked about as flabbergasted as Emiko felt. Azuki groaned, and suddenly, Emiko had a bad feeling, worse than the one she'd had all evening, and she held her breath as the answer came.

" _Otsuki_ , you morons. The same thing happened to her too. Didn't you see her messages?"

* * *

 **Yep, I have pulled more things off of Discord to use in the characters' chats.**

 **Also, since I double updated this and pretty recently since the last update to boot, I'm probably going to let this story go on the backburner for a while to focus on OGR and some OC submissions. To say nothing of real life things, since it's likely I will begin to get busier over February and in fact I am hoping for it.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these updates!**


	44. Goodbye, Myself (part 2)

**Trigger warnings apply, though in all fairness from the last update it should be fairly obvious that we really are taking a turn into the darker in general for the rest of the story. Regardless, if you want to know what is specifically triggering here, scroll down to the bottom.**

* * *

Mihoko crouched by a tree as she looked either side of her. It was unlikely anyone was watching, but she needed to be sure. Once satisfied, she darted across and with some effort, climbed back up the wall, and then manoeuvred the window the rest of the way up so that she could tumble through. She quickly turned and pulled the window back shut behind her, then took a moment to take deep breaths, trying to calm her thudding heartbeat as she almost instinctively huddled on the floor right beneath the sill. With the decision to be the one to dispose of the clothes Emiko would no doubt be reported as being 'last seen' in, she had irrevocably become an accomplice, an accessory to crime. In the eyes of the law, she would be seen as perverting justice.

 _But in the eyes of the truth, this is justice._

Mihoko took a few more breaths, then went back to where the concealed door to the panic room was, punching in the code and stepping through.

When she got in, Emiko was sitting cross-legged, swiping at a tablet while Azuki washed her hair in a bowl of bright blue dye. She noticed a carrier bag next to Emiko, and when she peeked in, she saw clumps of pink hair. Frowning, Mihoko looked at Emiko again and realised that the hair that was now being dyed was indeed a great deal shorter, with something different having been done to her fringe. Mihoko could only assume this was to disguise her in some way. She didn't see why if they were going to be hiding her, but she supposed it would be useful in the long term-the girl could hardly live in a panic room forever, could she?

"Have you seen Otsuki?" Azuki asked immediately, momentarily looking up.

"Otsuki?" Mihoko echoed. "No, why?"

"Oh great, you didn't see either?"

"Apparently soon after Emiko here got told about her family's grand plans for her, Otsuki got told the same. Unfortunately though, we were already plotting Emiko's escape…." Shino said, almost blandly.

"Someone else couldn't have helped?" Mihoko asked, even as she fought to swallow the rising sickness she felt.

"Look yeah," Azuki snapped. "I was the one who bought it to their attention, just so you know. I sent a message telling her to come here, but she hasn't."

 _How, how did I miss it?_

Mihoko didn't respond to this, but instead she took out her phone, and went straight to the chat.

 _Azuki: Fuck, for fuck's sake, Otsuki, answer!_

 _Azuki: Shishikane had the same thing happen but she's safe now, alright? You just need to come straight to Hisakawa's, we'll put you in the panic room. Alright? Just give us the word._

 _Azuki: Otsuki?_

 _Azuki: Otsuki, come on._

 _Mizuki Teranaga: I'll try to call her on my way here, and Mokomichi's offered to go out and have a look for her._

 _Moko(michi): What she said. I've just tried to call her too, with no luck. Is anyone else awake? Apart from us?_

 _Azuki: It doesn't seem like it, which is just bloody typical._

 _Mihoko: Otsuki, please, answer. We should have been paying attention before. But we're here now, okay?_

Mihoko sighed, and switched to text message, and sent a quick message to her there, before then going to LINE and doing the same thing. She paused when she realised that there had been a message sent there, too.

 _Hana Otsuki: Please, help me. I don't know who else to turn to._

 _Mihoko Sakurai: Otsuki, please call one of us. Please. I'll help you._

Once she had done that, she began to return to 'Shh!' but then paused. Then, deliberately, she went to her ringtone settings and set her phone to the strongest vibration possible, before deliberately placing it in her trouser pocket rather than the padded pocket of her jacket. That way, she would feel it. That way, she would not miss Hana's cries for help again. Once she had done that, she very deliberately sat down.

"Tell me what she said. Exactly." She said.

Azuki pursed his lips and didn't initially answer as he finished with the last strands of Emiko's hair, then went and pulled a little pink hand-held hairdryer. From the brand emblazoned on the side, Mihoko assumed it must have been a spoil from one his fashion videos, but it clearly did a good job of drying Emiko's hair, helping the blue become more blue, making seem as if her hair was always meant to be that colour. But then, eventually, he spoke:

"So, while we were figuring out how to get this one out of her house, Otsuki sent this panicked message about how she was 'going to get her brain wiped', and then when she explained it she basically said that over dinner, both her parents told her that she was to be enrolled in a program that was aiming to create the SHSL Hope, using Talentless students as a base. They had already said yes, just like Shishikane's, and they told her that if she wanted to say goodbye to her friends, that she needed to do it in the next week, that they would have a cover story in place about travelling. Which is when they also revealed they know full well that the project was going to wipe away their daughter as they knew her. "

Azuki's lip curled at this, and he shuddered in disgust.

"Obviously, they didn't care."

For the first time, Shino actually contributed to the conversation. Their eyes had a strange manic gleam to them as they sat there with what looked like a copy of the project report, leafing through it absently.

"They're a bit like your dad, right, Emiko?" they continued. "Just wanting their child to be some Talent-generating prestige cow. Not their actual child, to love and raise and all that."

"Yep, much the same. But fuck, fuck." Emiko grimaced. "How did we miss this? The girl's such a flower, we should have…fuck."

"I know."

For Shino, this was an unusually direct and candid admission, said without a glint of mischief or obscurity. Just a plain, simple statement. They sighed deeply, then picked up their phone, and scrolled through.

"Oh, looks like Teranaga is here." Shino said suddenly, getting up. "I'll let her in."

Shino bounced up, and rapidly disappeared. Or it seemed like that, at the speed they moved. Mihoko rubbed her eyes tiredly. She should have been asleep, in bed. Not here, knee deep in yet another nightmare.

"Have you chosen a hairstyle?" Azuki asked Emiko suddenly.

"Yup!" Emiko said cheerily. "Here. Oh, and do you have green contacts? I think those'd go nicely with this new colour. Plus it's a contrast from the pink-and-gold."

"Let's get the hairstyle outta the way, then we can worry about that. But yes, I'm sure I have green. Gimme that."

Azuki grabbed the tablet from Emiko, and considered it.

"That'll be hard to sleep in, you know."

"Who said I was sleeping?"

"Are you stupid?" Azuki snapped. "Do you want to collapse? You need sleep."

"Jeez, okay, mother." Emiko rolled her eyes. "But just let me test it out, okay?"

Azuki rolled his eyes in response and huffed heavily, but though this and his general mannerisms clearly indicated how put out he felt by this, he obliged, going to grab combs and hairspray and hairpins from the boxes he'd bought along with him and then tackling Emiko's now bright blue and much shorter hair. Mihoko watched, almost transfixed. The long strands either side of Emiko's face were curled, and some of her hair was gathered up into what Mihoko thought was a ponytail but then started to look like a bun, but revealed itself in the end to be a bow atop her head. It was not a hairstyle that she would have ever pictured Emiko in, it was so cutesy.

 _Cutesy. Like her._

Mihoko did her best to fight that thought, as it was making her feel so much worse. She focused on watching Azuki finish the hairstyle, then go back and drag out a box which turned out to be full of coloured contacts, before handing a set to Emiko, who carefully took them out of the packaging and then without wincing put them in her eyes, blinking a few times before gazing out with her brand-new bright green gaze.

"Woah, you look completely different."

Shino's voice made Mihoko jump, and she let out a shaky breath as Shino scrambled back into the room, gazing at Emiko with admiration, as Mizuki followed in a much more sober manner. Her expression, too, was grim as she looked at her phone and grimaced, before tapping at the screen and holding the phone to her ear.

"Mokomichi?" she asked after a moment.

She listened closely for a moment, and Mihoko tried to read her expression to try and work out what was going on. Mizuki nodded and mhmed to whatever was being said, and so many fleeting reactions made themselves visible, it was hard to discern.

"Perhaps circle back around to mine, though, Sakurai-san and the others are closer to her, they might know other places she liked to go…wait a moment, okay?"

There was an unexpected tenderness to her request that caught Mihoko by surprise, and she narrowed her eyes slightly as she studied Mizuki, trying to work it out, but then Mizuki held the phone near her shoulder and asked.

"Do any of you know any particular places that Otsuki-san spent a lot of time in? That she enjoyed going to?"

"I mean, she went places with her boyfriend." Emiko spoke up. "I think she's been to his house, but would she really worry him with something like this? He doesn't go to Hope's Peak."

"Do you have his address?"

"No, but I know his name-Riku Matsushita."

Mizuki relayed this information to Mokomichi briefly, then looked around them expectantly. Between the three of them, Mihoko, Shino and Emiko suggested ideas- a local theatre, some parks, the café she often went in to change before going to meet Riku, perhaps even Emiko's house. Mizuki repeated this back to Mokomichi then had a brief conversation.

"I….look, don't do all of them, I'll probably be back out so…..alright, alright. Just…call me when you get back, alright? Mmmm. Mhm. Okay, goodnight."

Mizuki hung up, and looked into the distance for a moment, somewhat hazily. _Huh, what's up with that?_ Then, abruptly, she shook her head and looked at Emiko.

"Can you tell me everything that your father said?"

"Sure, sure, though it's mostly just boasting."

Emiko then proceeded to do so, while Mizuki considered.

"Alright, then…so it seems like they're starting to approach people to possibly join, and they're presumably hoping to find someone who will say yes within a week or so. Right..." she rubbed her eyes tiredly. "How likely is it that people would think to look for you here?"

"My family certainly don't know just how close I am with Shino, what with them not being nearly as posh as I am," Emiko smirked. "But people at school might. But best they know, I've only ever gone around to Otsuki's. I made more of a point of talking about that in public, since our families are basically cut from the same cloth."

"Plus, this is the panic room. She'll be safe here for a while." Shino said. "At least until we figure out what is going on and where she can go next. Besides, look at her, she hardly looks like Emiko Shishikane, does she?"

They all stared at Emiko, who gave them a smile that was trying to be defiant, but wavered at the last second. True enough, with the blue hair and the green eyes, the way her new style framed her face, she looked like a completely different person.

"Ideally," Azuki spoke up. "You'd get some plastic surgery or something like that, once it's safe for you to be out and about. But tomorrow, perhaps, I can experiment with subtle make-up, just to make it more difficult for you to be recognised."

"Mhm, and obviously, I need something else to be called."

"What?" Mihoko frowned.

"No, that makes sense," Shino said. "You are pretending to be someone else, there's no sense in us calling you by your actual name."

"I'm not pretending."

Emiko drew her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, gazed at them all searchingly.

"You're…not pretending?" Mihoko repeated.

Emiko simply shook her head. There was a short silence, then Mizuki broke it.

"Well, what's your name going to be?"

Emiko frowned, considering.

"For a first name….something with 'mi' in it, for sure. I'd at least like my new name to still have some beauty in it. I'm not Emiko, but I'm still beautiful, right?"

"Sure you are." Azuki said, sounding tired.

Emiko gave a smile, but it seemed somehow watery. She sighed and lifted a weary hand, before seeming to forget what she was going to do, and letting it fall to her side.

"How's 'Hatsumi'?" Shino suggested. "'first' and 'beauty'?"

Emiko considered, then wearily nodded.

"Just a surname, now. Hmmmm….."

Mihoko tried to think of surnames that would fit, then wondered why fitting mattered. Surely, something common?

"Tanaka? Sato? Takahashi? Suzuki?"

Emiko shook her head to all of these, frowning deeply. Mizuki, Azuki and Shino all interjected with their own suggestions, and at first Emiko continued to shake her head, but then, suddenly, at one, she lifted her head.

"Yanagi. Yanagi is good. It means freedom, doesn't it?"

"No it doesn't, it's willow tree." Azuki objected.

"Yes, but the willow tree can be used to represent freedom." Mizuki pointed out.

"Okay, point taken. Wait, how do you know-no, don't tell me, you read a lot?" Azuki snarked.

"Hatsumi Yanagi." Shino said, experimentally, rolling the sounds around in their mouth and ignoring this exchange. "How'd'ya like that, Hatsumi Yanagi?"

Emiko tilted her head slightly, still frowning as she considered again. The silence stretched, as they all stared expectantly. And then slowly, she nodded.

"Hatsumi Yanagi." She repeated, quietly.

And just like that, the transformation was complete. The girl with the blue hair and green eyes had stopped simply being 'Emiko in disguise' and had become a whole new identity. With a single name, it was made final. Mihoko had lost a friend, and if they weren't careful, she'd lose another. For a moment, she couldn't breathe at the pain of it.

"What do we do now?" Mihoko asked, roughly.

"Well…" Mizuki rubbed her face, sighed yet again. "I don't think anything else can be done now. I'll check with Mokomichi, though I'm sure he'll tell us if he has had any luck. But it's late. You should sleep, get back and sleep. Then, in the morning, we'll try again."

"Yeah, my work here for now's done. I'm going to go and get my alibi sorted." Azuki declared, getting up. "I'm going to leave some of this stuff here, just in case we do manage to get Otsuki here."

"Alibi?" Hatsumi- _I have to start thinking of her as such, don't I_ -asked curiously, suppressing a yawn.

"Uh, hello, _yes_? Do I look like I want to be charged with aiding and abetting a kidnap?"

"What is your alibi?"

"Towa City by Night."

In lieu of an explanation, Azuki pulled out a video camera, waved it around, then shoved it back in his bag. After a little pause, Mizuki nodded, and headed to the panic room door. Azuki and Mihoko both followed, silently.

 _Do I look like I want to be charged with aiding and abetting a kidnap?_ There was no easy answer to this, Mihoko knew. Indeed, she had been prepared for that. All the same, she could not look back at Shino and Hatsumi as she left. She just couldn't.

 **…**

" _Oh, sneaking around is easy-you should totally come with us next time." Shino grinned._

" _Are you mad? That wasn't easy!" Azuki snapped, muffled from behind the black face mask that he was trying to take off._

" _Suure it was." Emiko grinned, tucking a strand of her pink hair behind her head. "You just gotta be used to hiding yourself. And you're used to that, right?"_

 _Hana blinked, and then nodded._

" _But that's different though, isn't it?" she asked cautiously. "I'm just trying to do something freely, but you were trying to get in somewhere forbidden."_

" _Yeah, yeah, true." Shino said. "But hey, now we've got some stuff for the maps, which I'm sure everyone will be pleased about."_

" _Mmmm….but, I think I'll leave the sneaking to you guys, if that's okay."_

Hana didn't know why that, of all memories, popped into her head as she wrung her hands, listening at the door, waiting for her parents to finish getting ready for the charity dinner that they were on their way out to. A charity dinner, even though they'd sat her down to tell her that they were going to be handing her over to an experiment.

" _We've had enough of you disappointing us."_

" _At least this way you will actually get a Talent."_

" _It's clear you don't have the drive and ability to actually make anything of yourself."_

" _It's an embarrassment having to explain why, exactly, you are so stagnant."_

" _If you actually respect us as parents then you can't complain about this."_

The words had rained down on her, actually feeling like something hitting against her skin, her head, everything, coming from both directions. When one had spoken, she had looked at the other, but she had seen no leeway there. Only coldness, as if they had shut themselves off from her as a human being. The fact that she generally behaved well at school, that she had managed to befriend the daughter of a family that they much admired, that she kept up her grades despite her own struggles…and not even that. What about her TEP work, the fact that she'd been chosen for the statue project even if it had not gone through? She'd thought it'd be something, at least, but it seemed like it wasn't now.

Clearly, it had never been.

But she couldn't allow this to happen. She couldn't just walk in, and have whatever it was happen. She hadn't been able to read it, not fully, since she'd had to read it in tiny increments just to make the words stop dancing, and it was harrowing enough already. But she knew what they all knew-that the end result was that she wouldn't be herself by the end of it. All the things she liked and loved, the way she thought and understood the world, all her memories and the things she knew she was good at. They'd be gone. _Did none of it matter,_ she asked herself uselessly.

She had to leave.

Still listening at the door, she desperately got her phone out, and looked for messages. But all she saw were more from the others about Emiko. Not her. Had she got lost in the flurry? She took a deep breath, then decided to take a risk and write a message on LINE, even though that was something that could be access. Surely, if she kept it vague, it'd be alright? So she quickly wrote something, not caring about spelling mistakes, and sent it before she could have second thoughts, most of her attention still on the door.

When finally, finally, she heard the key in the door, followed by a decisive slam, her phone slid out of her hand in relief, and she practically flew to her wardrobe door, pulling out an almost-forgotten suitcase, dragging it to the middle of the room and flinging it open before then flitting around her room, and shoving as much as she could in. Anything she thought would fit, that she might need, went in, with little thought beyond that. She just needed to get away, before they came back.

Once she was done, she found herself out of breath. Stumbling, she made her way to her bed, sitting down heavily, and tried to get herself back together again. Misty mewled, and padded over, and instinctively, Hana hugged her the way she had always done, clutching her tightly, before it hit her- _I can't take Misty with me, can I? Where am I going? I don't know where I'm going. Will it be safe for a cat?_

Abruptly, she let go of Misty, and deposited her back on the bed, rubbing her face and then staring up at the ceiling. After a moment, she forced herself away from the bed and the oddly-disappointed gaze of Misty and prepared to creep out of her room, not wanting to be too noisy despite knowing the house was empty. But then she paused. Her breath still caught in her throat just thinking of their faces over the dinner table, but they were still her parents. And she remembered a time when she had looked up to them, when she'd lit up when they'd finally walked through the door after work and they hadn't gone straight to the office. She'd wanted to be good enough for them, once. She had loved them.

So she backtracked, and went back to her desk. She pulled out her letter writing kit-not the sedate cream and white one her parents preferred, but the one she liked the most, pale pink with tasteful pastel floral designs around the borders. A writing kit they'd bought her once, despite their disapproval, longer ago than she could remember, a writing kit that she'd used to write love letters to Riku and birthday messages for Shino and Emiko and Mihoko. She pulled a sheet of letter paper, and then the fancy fountain pen, and without any aids to help her, she slowly and painstakingly wrote her final words to them:

 _I'm sorry I couldn't be good enough for you._

Her hand shook with the final word, and the pen slipped, leaving a small jagged line trailing off after the full stop. A couple of tears splashed onto the sheet, blurring this line. But she wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and put away the kit, leaving the note clearly placed in the middle of her desk. Dragging her suitcase and heading to the door, she paused to pick up her phone, then with a shaky breath turned off the light.

She opened her door, looking furtively around her before taking a deep breath and holding it as she went down the stairs, careful to hold the suitcase high so it didn't clank. When she finally got to the front door, she got out her keys and carefully inserted them into the lock, thanking her lucky stars that her parents hadn't yet gotten a key-card lock instead, as they'd been talking about for years. The cool night air hit her face as she stepped out onto the doorstep, and she looked up at the night sky for a moment before remembering herself and quickly shutting the door behind her, before darting away as quickly as possible.

" _The trick is keeping to the shadows. And not always literal shadows either. Just more concealed places, more isolated. Back alleys, away from cameras, with things to hide in like bushes or trees or what have you."_

 _Hana looked away from the shaky video footage to look at Shino, who was still triumphant from the excursion._

" _How did that work in there, though?"_

 _Shino grinned._

" _Much the same, less trees. It's more about avoiding cameras. Also trying to figure out how to bypass keycard locks and things. But that's what Emiko's for."_

" _Ah, it's just a few tricks I picked up here and there."_

Hana ran, and ran, and ran, clutching the suitcase to her, trying to keep to shadows, both literal and metaphorical, just as she remembered them talking about. It was late, but not so late that there still weren't others around. She ran, and ran, and ran, until she couldn't run any more. Nearly doubling over as she ducked into an alleyway, she caught her breath, then pulled out her phone, only to see a text message was flashing. Eagerly, she opened it, and then frowned, confused before replying.

 _Hana Otsuki: Why the school?_

A few seconds, and then a few more, and then, finally, a reply.

 _Nobody will think to look for you there._

Hana frowned, but then nodded. It was not as if there was anywhere else she could go. Well, there was Riku, in the sense that he'd never turn her away. But she couldn't tell him about this-what if something happened to him, too? And it would probably be the first place her parents thought to look. No, she couldn't. _So, school it is._

Staring at her phone, it occurred to her that she could be tracked this way. _Stupid, stupid._ She stared at it. If someone else answered, then she would keep it, just a little longer. But her phone stayed silent, and the more seconds that ticked by, the more likely it was she'd be seen. So, with a heavy heart, and tears she needed to blink away, she turned off her phone, and let it slip out of her hand as she kept running.

 **…**

Hana felt a little dizzy, as she stared out at the sky from the school roof. The school roof, of all places.

"What now, though?" she asked. "When morning comes, they'll find me here."

"Hmmm," the person who'd invited her up said, considering. "We'll move soon enough, but it's better than you running around."

"Mmmm. But where can I go?"

"Well, that's….."

Hana sighed, frustrated. _What are my options here? What can I do?_ She was suddenly so tired, she just wanted to curl up and sleep. _Why did I even bother?_

"It's basically killing me, isn't it?" she asked aloud as she began to walk to the fence, for reasons she herself couldn't really articulate.

"What is?"

"This…the Izuru Kamukura Project. At the end of it, I may as well be dead, right? It's just my body they need, in the end, right? Everything else…will be gone. Everything that makes me, me."

"Mmmm. I've never thought about it, but yeah. "

"But my mum and dad, they just…they want me to throw that away? They want…" Hana took in a deep breath.

"Woah, woah, don't cry." Her companion said. "They don't deserve you, do they? Not if they're willingly offering you up like that. Like man, parents are supposed to want their kids to grow up, right?"

"That's what I thought, too."

"Mind you, if you actually died, they wouldn't be able to do anything, right?"

"Ehhh I mean I guess."

On an impulse, Hana climbed over the fence and stood on the edge, gripping the railings behind her tightly, staring out, thinking. Trying not to think. Thinking. The person with her didn't seem to react, but she barely noticed. Instead, she closed her eyes.

"I don't want to die, but…"

"At least this way, you'd be in control or something, right? I mean, I'd rather live for as long as possible, but that's me. It's not like my folks are about to sign me up for human experimentation soon."

"Exactly." Hana snapped, suddenly irritable. "How could you know?"

"Ah, well…I mean, I guess, do what you want?"

Hana sighed, and shook her head. _If I died, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it. If I did, then I would have chosen how to go. But…_ she looked out into the void, barely able to see anything below her, just the sky around her. Would it hurt, she wondered, if she just let go? Surely it wouldn't, she'd just be in freefall for the briefest moment and then….nothing. It had to be better than however else her loves, dreams, hopes and fears and everything else that was her would eventually be drained away. Surely, that would hurt more.

"I want to, but I don't want to…." She murmured.

"Huh?" the person with her called out, nonchalantly. "What was that? Oh, hold on, there's something from Sa-"

"A message?"

Something spiked in Hana's chest, hot and spiky. No, there was no way it could be. She'd abandoned her hope with the phone she'd dropped back in that alleyway, it couldn't be… _but, you have to see._

"Give me a moment, I'm coming."

She turned around to climb back up, but just as she prepared to swing her leg over, she slipped and lost her footing. She wobbled, trying to steady herself, and then the thought slipped back into her mind…. _I could just let go._ Her hand almost reached the railings again. But then, in the end, they seemed just that little too far away, her fingers barely scraping it. So, she gave up, closed her eyes, and let go.

And when she fell, she couldn't remember if they actually had been or not. But soon enough, it stopped mattering.

 **…**

At first, Hana's companion did not move from the wall they had been leaning against. They were frozen in time, staring at the space where Hana had been, and now she was not. They couldn't even breathe for a moment, and then, the realisation hit them.

 _She's gone. And I might have had a role in that._

With that revelation, that person was able to push themselves away and walk across to the railing that Hana had climbed over. There was a funny feeling in them, this strange, churning sensation deep in their stomach but also an odd flush of warmth, stealing over their skin that only increased as they peered over the railing, though it was too dark to see anything (and thank goodness for that). They should have realised, really, that things could have turned out this way. But they hadn't. They really, truly hadn't. After all, had they not flirted with the boundaries of life and death before? Taunting and teasing, but still always coming back just fine? This situation they were all in now, the knowledge they were all holding, was that not more of the same? They had not expected that Hana would just let go like that.

But she had. And they had to accept the truth, that they did that.

 _Me. It was me. And if I could do something like that…_

They let out a breath, a shaky breath, because despite this they were not heartless. They'd liked Hana, the way they were sure that everyone else had. _But…I did this. I did this. Who knows what else I could do?_ They let the question knock around in their head while they closed their eyes and let the night breeze buffet their face for a while longer. More than likely, the sorrow would come later, when they were no longer so giddy with it all, and tucked up safely in bed. But for now, they opened their eyes once again, cast their gaze across the darkness for one more moment, and then made the decision to sneak back down, before some poor sod stumbled across Hana down on the ground and raised the alarm. _Yup, wouldn't do to be up here, would it?_ They yawned and stretched, and then turned back and went to the roof entrance.

They smiled the whole way down.

* * *

 **The trigger warning is for a depiction of what may or may not be a suicide (it's meant to be somewhat ambiguous as to if it was purposeful or not).**

 **Anyway, as clarification, the sections that are in Hana's POV take part in parallel to most of last chapter, and then the Mihoko's POVbit-roughly up until the point she changes the ringtone settings on her phone. And yes, the fact I've not revealed who was with Hana is also deliberate. Who do you think it might have been?**


	45. Devastations

Azuki was starting to feel a little grumpy by the time he started to get close to school. He'd more or less ended up pulling an all-nighter in the perfection of his alibi. And in all fairness, the 'Towa City By Night' video idea was actually quite a cool one, and he'd managed to gather a lot of ideas that he was fully intending on actually using at some point.

But he couldn't be happy about that, not when he'd basically just assisted in a kidnapping, and when they still had not found Hana. And he'd tried to look himself, while wandering and pretending to take shots and make notes. But he'd not managed it. And all the scenarios that could have caused that were running over and over in his head. _Fuck, I could have done something more concrete, couldn't I? Especially as the first of us to notice? Why didn't I specifically tell her to go over to the panic room, and then notify the others? Why didn't I myself pick her up and bring her with me?_ These were things that should have occurred to him before, he knew full well. But they hadn't.

 _Hopefully nobody is going to try and make small talk with me as I head back, and at least I'll be able to get away with just going to bed instead of classes._ He was still dressed 'as' Azuki, rather than Fumiyo, so it wasn't as likely anyone would approach him, but it hadn't been unheard of. But turning onto the road, he noticed a couple of police cars parked, and instantly, he tensed. _Fuck, oh fuck. Alright, keep walking, don't look suspicious._ He hitched his bag a little higher on his shoulder, and quickened his stride, trying to look purposeful. Getting through the gates, he noticed police clustered around the side of one of the buildings, and a number of people suited up in those huge white suits that made people look like beekeepers and astronauts. Despite himself, he slowed a little so he could stare, but he didn't want to get any closer. Besides, they seemed as if they were attempting to clear the crowds of students that were gathering.

"I heard that a cleaner just found a girl, like dead on the floor-"

"-a Reserve Course, apparently, right?"

"threw herself off..?"

The snatches of conversation that Azuki caught were enough to make him catch his breath, for his blood to run cold, but he forced himself to keep walking.

"Heeeeey!"

Azuki squawked as Sho slapped him on the back in a comradely way, looking ridiculously perky, and oblivious to the glower that said perkiness was now earning him.

"Whatcha doing up so early then, hmm?"

"Planning for a new video." Azuki said tersely, as Sho wasn't alone. "What is it to you?"

"Jeez, chill, man." One of Sho's buddies said, though he didn't seem that bothered.

"Ah, coolness, coolness." Sho said. "You heading to class?"

Azuki shook his head, wanting to take Sho by the shoulders and shake him. He knew that they couldn't talk so openly around others, but couldn't he show even a little concern? Or had he really, somehow, inexplicably been actually sleep the entirety of the night before? _Do you really have no clue?_ Azuki studied Sho's careful rumpled-ness, his smile and the annoying brightness of his eyes, but he saw nothing there. Nothing he wanted to see.

"Woah, hey, did you hear this? Some girl topped herself here last night?"

This exclamation came from one of Sho's friends, who had been intently studying his phone and now looked up, shocked but also somewhat excited. This was all it took for Sho and his other buddies to move away from Azuki, losing interest in him almost as quickly as they'd approached him. With a disgusted shake of the head, Azuki continued moving forward.

As he got closer to his room, he heard more snippets of conversation, mostly rehashing the points that he already knew: a girl had been found dead, possibly having jumped off the roof, she wasn't recognised as one of the Main Course and thus was more than likely a Reserve Course student. Nobody had identified her, and despite many efforts, the police around hadn't given details, giving the usual reasoning of needing to inform next of kin first. Which was of course the right thing to do, but was not much use to Azuki. Not when it could be…

Azuki almost stumbled as he had to get out of the way of a white-suited person who was suddenly striding down the corridor, two smartly dressed women who he assumed to be police or detectives of some kind closely following, heads bowed together, talking in hushed tones that only became more hushed as they walked past him. But even so, they couldn't hide the suitcase that the white-suited person was carrying. A small, ordinary brown suitcase, looking somewhat worn out, and only made special by the sparkly floral stickers that dotted it. These, two, were also worn out, but they were still enough to make the suitcase distinctive. Enough that, although Azuki had never seen the suitcase in his life before, he knew whose it was.

Azuki put a hand to his chest, closed his eyes for a moment. _No. Please, no._ When the detective and the forensic person finally disappeared down the corridor, he looked up and saw Minah looking at him in concern from the other side of the corridor. Cautiously, she looked either side of her before going up to him.

"I…have you heard anything from her?" she asked, softly.

Azuki shook his head, gesturing to where they had been.

"Didn't you see, the suitcase?"

Minah blinked, then shook her head.

"That can't be! Are you sure?"

"We didn't hear anything." Azuki said. "It lines up."

"No, but…."

Minah covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide and worried. The possibility looked like it had knocked the breath out of her too, but Azuki couldn't bring himself to say anything that could reassure or comfort. It wasn't as if there was anything, after all. So instead, he just pushed past her and ran the rest of the way to his room, ignoring anything and everything else, until he was finally inside. He slammed his door, locked it, then leaned against it, covering his face with his hands, and finally falling apart.

 **…**

It had been confirmed by lunchtime, that the dead girl that had been found in the early hours by a cleaner was indeed Hana Otsuki. There had been an urgent video message, broadcasted by both principals, urging sensitivity and compassion for the bereaved family, who wanted to be left in peace. But since these kind words had been supplemented by a request (one that seemed half plea, half command) to not 'dwell' on it or to 'worry unnecessarily', Mokomichi had to wonder about the sincerity of it. Of course, he had other reasons for doubting it-there was no way that those two could possibly have not known why, exactly, the girl had been driven to do something so horrific. Just no way. But either way, it hadn't stopped half the Reserve Course student body from gossiping about it.

"I'm sure she must have been making a point, right?" one of his classmates said as they chatted, waiting once again for their teacher.

"What do you mean?" another asked.

"Well, like, she must have known it'd cause a scene, right, being on the school roof of all things?" the classmate replied. "Otherwise, why not just do it in your room, the way the other girl did?"

"But do people really think that clearly about that kind of thing when they're in the moment?" Mokomichi asked.

Because surely, Hana couldn't have been thinking clearly. _Otherwise, I would have managed to find her, right?_ It stung that he hadn't managed to find her, that he had not even thought of the school. But if he'd been trying to escape such a thing, he would have run as far from the school as possible, not closer to it. _I don't understand._

It took him a moment to realise that his classmates were staring at him. Mokomichi simply stared back, waiting. Eventually, one shrugged.

"I don't know, man. I don't know."

"Well, whatever. At least they've noticed."

"But you'd expect us to be interviewed about her state of mind and things, right?" another spoke up. "But they haven't."

"I mean, it's a clear-cut suicide."

"But what about an inquest?"

"Oh, yeah. I dunno, man. It sucks though, either way."

"Yeah, it does."

At this point, Mokomichi tuned out, half-watching the rest of his class, half-ruminating. He glanced at Mihoko, who to all appearances was diligently studying. But he could see that her posture was tense, that she was gripping her pen a little tighter. She didn't sense him staring, and didn't look up, but he'd seen her expression when Hana's death had been formally announced and he was sure it'd be much the same now. He sighed and shook his head, and decided to get his work out himself, when suddenly, the classroom door opened and his teacher, along with another, turned up with two strangers . All four remained in the doorway waiting for everyone to notice them, which didn't take too long. Once the classroom was quiet, the teacher spoke.

"Alright, as you know, as well as the tragic death of the second year student, we've also had a girl from the first year disappear from her home. The detectives want to talk to you all about that, since she is well known. The two of us will be acting as appropriate adults, though since quite a few of you are 18 already some of you might not need one. "

"They'll be group interviews, there's nothing to worry about. You just need to be as honest as you can, alright?" the other teacher said. "So, lets start…"

Mokomichi and Mihoko ended up in a group together with four other students, with their own class teacher as their appropriate adult-who promptly made a point of sitting in a corner and fiddling on her phone, until the detective asked her to put away, which she didn't seem too pleased about. Once introductions had been made, the detective got straight to business.

"So, I'm not sure how much you know, but Emiko Shishikane disappeared from her house last night. I'm sure you will all know her at least by sight or by reputation, am I right?"

"She's friends with her."

This student blurted this out eagerly, pointing at Mihoko, who didn't give much away apart from perhaps sitting up a little straighter. Mokomichi tried to catch her eye, but she studiously refused to meet anyone's eyes apart from that of the detective.

"Ah, are you now, Sakurai-san?"

Mihoko simply nodded.

"How long have you two been friends for?"

"I guess the beginning of this school year, or thereabouts. We met in school, through Otsuki."

"This is Hana Otsuki, right?" the detective checked.

Mihoko nodded.

The detective frowned, and made a note on his tablet.

"How is it you specifically met through her?"

"Not really sure, it just sort of happened. I know they know-knew-each other through their families though."

The detective nodded, and asked Mihoko a few more questions, which she answered as blandly in as few words as possible. Mokomichi was asked a little about Hana, since it was known that he'd known her via Mizuki, but he tried to keep his answers neutral. He allowed himself to 'admit' that Hana had felt pressured and that it worried her, but remained on guard for the rest of the interview. He couldn't tell whether the detective was satisfied with their answers or not, but at the very least he didn't seem suspicious, which was something.

When their class teacher dropped them back at the classroom, she declared it a 'free period' and promptly left with the next group of students to be interviewed. Almost instantly, Mokomichi and Mihoko exchanged a look, and then they went to gather their things and left the classroom.

They said nothing to each other as they left the building. Mokomichi turned to head to the willow tree, and Mihoko paused for a moment before speeding up to catch up with him. He sat down, and took his books out.

"I thought you were going home."

Mokomichi shrugged as he took his phone out and typed a message.

"No, I'm waiting for Mizuki." He said, simply.

In the end, after he'd been looking, he'd not gone back to her, instead going back to his flat. He wasn't entirely sure if it was because he hadn't wanted to disturb her, or because he hadn't wanted to face her with his failure. Either way, now he wanted to see her. _Needed_ to. Which was why he'd told her where he was, now, hoping that once she was finished with the myriad things she had to do, she'd come back to him.

Mihoko frowned quizzically, and then shrugged.

"Okay. "

She proceeded to sit down nearby, and took out her own work. A few minutes passed, and then Mokomichi sighed.

"Do you think we'll be alright?"

"I don't know. They're probably going to connect the two, but…yeah, I don't know."

"We'll need to get our stories straight though, right?"

"Mmmm. Let's figure it out later, once the school day's ended. That's what you're going to talk about, right?"

"Mmm."

 _Amongst other things._

Mihoko looked up and narrowed her eyes at Mokomichi for a moment, then shook her head and returned to her work. Mokomichi tried to concentrate on his for a moment, and then something occurred to him.

"Has someone told Shishikane-chan?"

"You mean 'Yanagi-chan'?"

Startled at the bitterness, Mokomichi could only stare, momentarily failing to understand what it was she meant. Then, he recalled a message sent in the early hours of the morning.

"Yes, but still. Someone needs to tell her."

"Shino will." Mihoko said decisively. "They were in today-not in class half the time, but in."

Mokomichi wasn't sure what it was that made him do so, but he narrowed his eyes at her, almost in a mirror of the look she'd given him just moments ago.

"Bu-"

"Shino will tell her. Will tell _Yanagi-chan_."

Mihoko pointedly turned away, and picked up her books once again. _What on earth?_ Mokomichi continued to stare, then decided to try and do the same, and once again a little time passed in silence until he felt a presence draw closer, and he looked up.

"Hey." Mizuki said, simply.

"Well, I'll leave now."

Mokomichi barely had time to blink before it seemed that Mihoko had practically vanished. He stared at the space where she had been, then turned to face Mizuki, who was standing, clutching her schoolbag and looking at him wistfully.

"I looked." He said, eventually. "I promise you, I looked."

Mizuki nodded slowly.

"I know you did. It's not your fault."

She sighed, and looked away. Mokomichi regarded her carefully, and then said.

"It's not your fault, either."

Mizuki shrugged, then sat down heavily in front of him, settling her bag on her lap and propping her chin on her hands.

"It feels like it."

"I know." Mokomichi reached over and covered her hands with one of his. "I know."

Mizuki let out a shaky breath, then closed her eyes.

"They asked me, if I wanted to take someone else for TEP, now that Otsuki-san is gone."

"That was fast." Mokomichi said, trying to be calm. It wasn't clear if _they_ had been the Student Council or one of the principals, but it didn't particularly matter.

"I said no, anyway." She opened her eyes. "I still have you, after all."

He couldn't help but blush a little at that, but then he smiled, just a little.

"Yep. You have me _all_ to yourself now."

Mizuki gaped at him for a moment, not quite getting it, but the moment that comprehension did dawn was clear, and she returned his tentative smile with one of her own.

"So I do, "she said. "So I do."

"Mmmm. So…shall we go home now?"

"Together?"

"Yeah. I'll stay this time"

"Alright."

 **…**

Shino was supposed to be making something for both them and Hatsumi to eat, but they quickly got bored, and left the preparations halfway to pick up their phone and scroll through various social media, to see what people were saying about Hana's suicide. They would have expected there to be a proper outpouring, a demand for some sort of inquest or investigation. Instead, there were vacuous statements about the 'pressures on modern youth' and the need to 'put more in place to help the younger generation cope with the pressures of life', and outpourings of sympathy and scorn in equal measure. One article did mention Riko in passing, though not by name, and it was the closest thing to trying to call out Hope's Peak.

… _this death follows one that occurred in June, also on the premises of Hope's Peak, except in the dorm room of the student concerned. Though the two students did not know each other or have any discernible connection to each other, two tragic deaths in such a short amount of time has sparked concern that the centenary is putting particular pressure on the elite teenagers to surpass their limits…_

"Pfft, no connections, my arse." Shino muttered.

They continued to flick through a few more, but again, found nothing particularly interesting or useful. The only thing that could really count as either was the fact that Otsuki's parents seemed desperate to sweep it under the carpet, but if they hadn't known why Hana had been out last night, they would have assumed that this was just an example of typical rich and stuffy parents wanting to brush off scandal so they could remain shiny. They supposed in a way it still was, except that this time they had further to fall if someone did dig in. Scrolling to the bottom of one particular article and noticing a link to an 'anonymous tip' page, Shino was almost tempted, but then they heard Hatsumi's somewhat muffled warbling coming from the shower and they stopped. _No, I'll save it for later._ They put their phone down, and with some reluctance went back to the food.

Once the pasta had been made, Shino shovelled it into two bowls, stuck a fork in each bowl, and then plonked them onto an old tray they'd pulled out that morning. Then, they shoved all the cooking utensils they had used into the sink, ran some water over it briefly so the sauce wouldn't dry and make life harder later, then picked up the tray and took it down to the panic room.

"Food's ready once you're done!"

Shino called this out as they walked past their bathroom. They didn't need to elaborate that Hatsumi needed to come to the panic room instead of the kitchen for said food. They knew that she knew that the kitchen and the bedroom, what with their windows, were by far the most dangerous for her to be in. Once inside, they plonked the tray on a heavily-sellotaped box of childhood books, and sighed, wondering what to do. Then, they looked around absently, wondering what to do while waiting. Their eyes landed on the print out of the project document, and despite having basically read it almost to death, they decided to read it again, hoping for some sort of loophole or revelation that they'd be able to use to do something. Blow all this wide open. Avenge Hana. Save Hatsumi.

At first, nothing seemed to jump out at them as they read it, it was just more of the same depressing, disturbing content. But then, something that had always been there but they'd been skimming over all this time caught their eye.

" _The chosen subjects will be tested alongside Subject E (Appendix C-3), to compare the potential effects between what could be considered as 'fresher minds' and that of one who is physically older."_

Shino frowned at this. Subject E. Why _E_ , of all the letters? A thought popped into their mind, but determinedly, they pushed it down as they flicked through to find Appendix C-E, and read it carefully.

 _Subject E was a first-year male student in the Reserve Course who was reported to be shy and quiet, generally unassuming but in good health physically. Though his parents claimed he had no relationship with his two younger siblings-a five year old girl and a three-month-old boy-teachers reported that he had been heard talking fondly about them to the few classmates he had befriended. On one occasion, he was seen showing the girl around the outdoor grounds, and there seemed to be a genuine affection between them. He was reported to be 'utterly' average and to have very little interest in being Talented, despite the wishes of his parents. Indeed, he seemed to want to transfer to an 'ordinary' school, though owing to his nature he did not seriously fight for this want the way other teenagers might. More details on his background can be found in the 2022 edition of this report, Section B._

 _Subject E was taken for the Izuru Kamukura Project on the 6_ _th_ _November, 2022, with the consent of his parents. At this stage, as it had been decided that any students enrolled were not to be informed of the nature of the Project, he was bought to the project under the guise of being asked to see one of the Principals. His parents then put about the story that he had run away from the school-_

Shino closed their eyes, trying to stop the trembling that had suddenly taken over their entire body. Slowly, they forced themselves to reopen their eyes, look down at the sheet. One paragraph slightly further down jumped straight out.

 _Though it is unclear whether they are aware that Subject E did have a connection with his younger siblings, the parents were adamant that this would not pose a problem in being able to use him. The baby of course would not know different if he was absent, and the five year old was described as being at an age that was 'still early enough to mould' and that she could be persuaded to forget-_

Almost unconsciously, Shino tossed the papers away from them, scrambling backwards and staring at them as if they were burning, the trembling worse now. _Persuaded to forget, persuaded to forget, persuaded to forget…_

"Fuck, it worked, didn't it? It really did."

"Shino?"

They jumped violently and whirled around to stare at Hatsumi, who had come out of the bath, dressed in dark jeans and a thin mint-green jumper, a towel draped around her shoulders and her hair wet and straggly, center-parted haphazardly and falling in waves that it hadn't had before. _Damn, she really is transformed._ Cautiously, Hatsumi looked around her and at all the papers that were now scattered everywhere before tentatively walking over and picking one up.

"Shino?" Hatsumi repeated. "What happened?"

Shino opened their mouth to speak, and realised they couldn't breathe. Doubling over, they gasped, trying to breathe in, and out, and in, and out, until finally, their chest loosened, just a bit, and they were able to straighten and look Hatsumi in the eye.

"Eizan…" they started.

"Eizan? That's the name on the box you're so freaky over, what-"

Hatsumi was frowning, looking mostly at Shino but still glancing at the paper from time to time as she spoke. But Shino interrupted her before she could finish the question.

"I need to tell you about Eizan. I think I know what happened to him."


	46. Light The Way For Me

**I don't know how I managed to finish this, but I did. So. Yeah. Enjoy.**

* * *

"Well, that is certainly a serious allegation."

"No _shit_ , Sherlock."

Mizuki was almost startled as Shino glared viciously at Sosuke while they held on tightly to an old photograph, the contents of the box they had once been so protective over spilled across the living room floor as they-her, Mokomichi, Shino, Sosuke, Mihoko and Hatsumi-now pored over them. She hadn't really been expecting that this was how she would have been spending her evening. She had just wanted to go home, do a little bit of admin for the Teranaga Foundation and the potential candlelight vigil, and then have what would have been a quiet evening in with Mokomichi. Quite possibly, a quiet romantic evening.

 _A quiet romantic evening._ No matter how she broke down that sentence, it was still such a strange thing to realise that she could do. A comforting thing, too-even if she had kept herself busy, it would have been so hard being alone, especially after hearing about Hana. _Akira would probably find it hilarious_ , Mizuki thought, once she found out. Normally, she would have told her about Mokomichi straight away, but so soon on the heels of finding out about the Kamukura project, and then dealing with hiding Emiko and turning her into Hatsumi, to say nothing of poor Hana-well, it had slipped her mind. One day though, she'd be able to tell her, be embarrassed by the inevitable teasing but also bolstered by the support, all of those normal things that came along with things like this. And maybe she'd have a quiet romantic evening in as well one of these days.

Instead, however, she was back in the panic room again, discovering that there was yet another twist in the whole sorry tale of the Izuru Kamukura project.

"So, what you are saying is that they tried to carry out this experiment 10 years ago, on your brother, except that something went wrong with it?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure what-this other report that they reference isn't anywhere in the papers. But that's the long and short of it."

Shino sighed.

"To be honest, I was expecting that he'd be dead. Buried in that goddamn graveyard, maybe. But then when I realised that wasn't possible, I figured maybe elsewhere on the school grounds. There was this rumour about some students' organ transplants a little while ago-I thought that might have been him, but the timings didn't line up. So. Here we are."

Mizuki watched as Hatsumi awkwardly patted Shino's shoulder, then risked a glance at Mokomichi. He caught her eye, then shifted a few inches closer to her, and she leaned, ever so slightly. It was really only a ghost-touch, but it was enough. For now.

"That raises the risk, doesn't it?" Mihoko asked.

"What do you mean?" Mizuki queried, turning her attention to the girl, who had oddly sat herself at a distance from Shino and Hatsumi.

"They have a test subject they want to re-test, plus they're very quickly gathering subjects-three that we know of. And they haven't got their hands on any of those three, for completely different reasons. They're going to want to make sure that they get someone."

"Alright, but who would actually say yes?" Shino said. "Like, Hats' parents are shits, Otsuki's were shits, mine were and are still shits, but like I'm not so salty as to not realise that not all parents are shits. "

"This is true," Hatsumi said, smirking at Shino, more than likely at the nickname 'Hats'. " _Most_ of the Reserve Course are money-loaded, money-hungry slimeballs, not _all_. Big difference."

"Kaneda-sempai's parents were approached due to his 'weird brain'" Mokomichi said, making the quotation marks with his fingers. "So it was framed as something to apparently fix what they presumed his parents would see as a defect."

"Otsuki's parents could have had that reasoning too, actually." Shino pointed out. "What with her dyslexia, mild though it was. Like I said, shits."

"I think we should perhaps try and compile a list-whether a physical one or more a mental one-of the possible reasons someone's parents may have signed them up to the Izuru Kamukura project." Sosuke said decisively. "That way, it will be easy to determine who may or may not be at risk, particularly amongst our own."

Everyone stared at Sosuke for a moment, before Mizuki cleared her throat.

"That does sound like a good idea. So…"

"High expectations," Mihoko started. "Particularly those relating to perfection. Fame, power and status. Wanting their so-called 'talentless' child to have a Talent for whatever reason-usually linking back to one of the ones mentioned. Money. The need to 'fix' an aspect of their child that is negative, whether that is a medical condition, a disability or a personality trait. Punishment-"

"Money."

"I already said that, Yamashita." Mihoko said, somewhat irritably.

"Yes, but you were thinking of the rich, right?" Mokomichi asked.

"Who are you thinking of, Mokomichi?" Mizuki asked, though now he'd said it, she had a feeling she already knew.

"The poor."

This earned him a few puzzled frowns, until Mihoko groaned and face-palmed.

"Of course! Scholarship students!"

"There are also those who did not necessarily meet scholarship criteria but whose families had to scrape in order to afford the fees-which, in all fairness, is no mean feat." Sosuke added. "If fees were to go up further, that could cause difficulties for a lot of those families. The financial reward given from this would certainly help to offset such costs. Money could also be a consideration for those who might believe that the Project would fix their health conditions-after all, depending on the condition, specialist care and equipment can be quite dear."

"I sincerely hope you guys over in your ivory tower will be arguing _against_ putting up fees, but yes." Shino agreed.

"What categories did Eizan fall into?" Hatsumi asked curiously.

"Oh, he was never good enough for my parents, if my knowledge of what they are like is anything to go by. He just wouldn't fit into the picture they wanted of him-look at that fucking page, after all. He still showed 'genuine affection' to me, after all. Not that I fucking remember any of it."

In picking out the offending page, Shino caused the others to fly everywhere, making Mizuki wonder why on earth they hadn't stapled it, even as they scrambled to gather them up again, along with Mokomichi and Mihoko. Once they had, they held out the page and presented it to Mizuki.

"Do you want me to read it out?"

Shino gave a one-shouldered shrug. Mizuki sighed, and looked down at the page, reading it out. A silence descended for a moment, then Sosuke spoke.

"Subject E, as he is called, could be dead."

"He could, yes." Mizuki said quickly. "But if he was, they wouldn't be able to use him as a control, which is what is suggested here."

Shino, who had tensed, visibly relaxed, though they still continued to wear a mutinous glare.

"With that being said, something went wrong."" Mokomichi added absently. "That's a significant fact. He might not be in any reasonable state if we go to rescue him."

"If?" Shino asked.

"Yeah, don't you mean when?"

"You're suggesting we go to rescue him?" Mihoko asked.

To this, Shino only gave a particularly skewering look, and Mihoko sighed.

"I suppose that's fair. "She acknowledged. "After all, that's going to be our priority now, isn't it? Trying to prevent anyone else from being taken, or rescue anyone else who has been?"

She looked straight at Mizuki as she said this. The expectation in her gaze was heavy, and Mizuki sighed heavily before nodding.

"Yes, indeed-"

Her words were cut off by the sound of her phone. Frowning, she got up and went to her bag.

"Sorry, excuse me."

She fished out her phone, and saw it was Minah's name flashing. Calling her. More curious than anything, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"He didn't turn up."

 **…**

Minah didn't know how to describe it. She didn't know how to describe the chain of events that had led her from waiting for Kaneda and Isamu in the school courtyard, all the way to the school roof to try and explain it on the phone to Mizuki, while Kaneda kept a lookout.

But she had to try. _Because I have already failed._ With such cruel hindsight, she now knew that she had seen it happen. But she had failed to do anything, and now, and now-

"He didn't turn up." Minah said, diving straight into it without bothering to say hello. "To where we were meeting, that is. It was just Kagane-sempai…"

"Kang-san? What do you mean? Has something happened?"

"Asai-kun," Minah said, trying hard to make sure she didn't sound as frantic as she felt. "He didn't turn up."

"You were scheduled to meet, yes? Is he off sick?"

"No, no, that's what I'm trying to tell you…"

She closed her eyes, remembering. She had been surprised to see Kaneda rushing towards her as jovially as ever, but on his own. With most other meets, unless he'd had some other commitment he was rushing from, he always made a point of walking with Isamu or Manaka, if not both. Of course, now Manaka wasn't here, so it'd only be Isamu. But this time, he was on his own.

"Is Asai-kun on his way, do you know?" Minah had asked, not concerned at first. "I thought you would meet him."

Kaneda had frowned, and even before he'd spoken, Minah had started to have a very, very bad feeling.

"I just swung by his classroom, but one of his classmates said he wasn't in. I assumed that you knew….but I'm guessing not, now."

"No, he didn't tell me. He always had." By always, she meant twice, three times at most. Isamu was not one to miss anything that had been arranged, not if he could help it. "Should we go to his house, check everything is alright with his family?"

"Let's go back and ask. It's possible I got the wrong end of the stick, after all."

"Mhm."

But his classroom had been empty, and when they had managed to find someone from his class, they had not been bothered by the concern-absent students were not exactly a mind-blowing phenomenon, and besides perhaps he'd just decided to leave? Never mind the small detail that he had been a Reserve Course Representative and proud of it. But then they'd found another girl who'd been able to tell them that it wasn't just that he was absent, but that his name had been left off of the register all together.

"Left off the register?" Mizuki asked Minah as she paused for breath. "Did you get a chance to see the register for yourself?"

"The girl had been on paper register duty, so she noticed it'd been struck through when she took the registers back to the office, but she assumed like the other classmate that he'd left suddenly." Minah explained.

"Alright. Alright, did you manage to find out any more as to why?"

"That's the thing." Minah said. "Nobody knew. And when we went to the offices…."

It had taken a while to get down to the offices, since various students kept wanting to say hello to her and gush about their appreciation of her. Kaneda had also accosted quite a few students with greetings and stickers, as his tendency tended to be. One girl had asked whether they were going to support the petition the American exchange student in the Main Course had been running to get a candlelight vigil up (Minah hadn't even been aware there'd been an exchange, and she had no idea how she'd missed that).

"Oh yeah, she arrived the same day as Otsuki died, so it got a bit swept under the carpet. Somehow. I'd have expected the other way around."

Minah heard Shino call-presumably, Mizuki had put the call on loudspeaker. She briefly acknowledged the explanation, quietly agreeing with Shino's surprise, before recounting how she and Kaneda had eventually made it, and upon finding the room empty and unlocked, decided to go through looking for student records. Well, Kaneda had, while Minah had hovered, not quite as daring as that.

A teacher had arrived soon after though, leaving Kaneda to smoothly come up with a story about looking for contact details to visit Isamu. Minah backed him up, emphasising her concern for his sudden absence and how she just wanted to make sure he was alright. The teacher had seemed sceptical, but then had obliged them by looking his computerised record-and not finding it.

"Well, kids, it's not there. Records are usually expunged three months after a student leaves, though we do keep contact details just in case. I can't seem to find those either though…but hey, that's computers for you. Don't you have his mobile number or something?"

"I would have liked his address, to make an in-person visit. I didn't ask for it." Minah said, her embarrassment honest.

"Well, let me see if I can find the paper backup…"

The teacher had gotten up and went to the same drawers that Kaneda had been rootling around in, and then looked himself, asking a couple of questions about the kanji in Isamu's name before looking at them with a befuddled, but not particularly concerned expression on his face.

"Not there. Can't do anything about that."

Minah had been too numb to politely thank him, but Kaneda had mercifully been, well, Kaneda, so he'd rambled something cheerful and then dragged her out. And then, they'd headed straight for the roof.

Once she had recounted all this, she took a breath and waited for a response.

"That is certainly troubling." She heard Sosuke said eventually. "That is not how a student leaving should be handled if meant to be as un-alarming as possible."

"And once again," Shino snarked. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Does he fit any of the risk factors though?" Mokomichi asked.

"Risk factors?"

"Yeah, like shitty family, fame grabbing, poor family, illness, defect, scholarship."

"He's a scholarship student, his father's unwell and he has a lot of siblings." Minah blurted out.

 _And…_

" _Well, as I have told you, this will end up benefitting your family, so do think about it, alright? Have a good day, Asai-kun."_

She opened her mouth, ready to confess, when Mizuki spoke.

"Well, that will more than likely do it…looks like we'll need to move quicker than expected. I'll be calling a whole group meeting soon, but thanks for bringing that to our attention."

"A-ah, that's fine." Minah stuttered.

After exchanging goodbyes, Mizuki hung up, and Minah sighed, closing her eyes. _What have I done? I've really made a big mistake, haven't i?_

"Ah, don't look so down now my kouhai!"

Minah let out a little cry as Kaneda appeared in front of her, grinning.

"I know you cared a lot, but he would have been sworn to secrecy, you wouldn't have been able to help him."

 _But I could, I could._ Minah let out a shaky breath, but didn't answer him, instead looking around. Hana had been up here. What had she been thinking? That she hadn't been good enough, as she'd confessed to Minah just days ago? _Another person I could have saved but didn't? What use am I, if all I'm doing is just standing numbly and filing things away? I'm dishonouring everything I was bought up with. Everything._

"Thinking about her, huh?" Kaneda asked, forcing her attention back to him.

"Mhm…"

 _Oh, what's one more lie of omission?_

"Don't blame the roof, 'kay?" he said, somewhat randomly. "It's not at fault-yes, it's dangerous, but only if you climb over or stray too close to the edge. It's her situation that's culpable."

Minah frowned at him, utterly confused. Which was better than being miserable, she supposed. But not by much.

"I'm….not."

"Good, good!"

Kaneda clapped her on the back, and she tried her best not to flinch. _"Oh, good! I knew you wouldn't! "-_ she couldn't help but remember those words. She wanted to throw up, to curl up and cry. Instead, she gave a smile and moved away.

"Personal space, sempai." She reminded gently. "But let's…let's go down now."

She went ahead, and tried not to look as if she was running. But that was easier than she expected, simply because she didn't know who she was running from.

Him, or herself.

 **…**

Kumori finished tying his hair with the new ribbon that Yuna had bought him (the one from Hoshiko really had fallen apart, and this he now kept safely in a drawer), and then regarded himself in the mirror. After frowning at his reflection, he readjusted his tie, then checked again.

 _Yes, that's good enough._

But that was the only thing that was good enough, really. What about him? Hadn't he promised that Riko would be the last? And yet, look what had happened. He had failed, without even really trying. _All I can do now is avenge you both, and save the others._ The plan was solid in his mind, as were their faces. If he closed his eyes, he was easily able to recall them. Hard-working, Isamu Asai, Minah's TEP and a school scholarship recipient. Haruya Izanagi, fiery, another Reserve Course Representative. Risato Han, known only to be quiet and 'slow', a lonely girl. Yuki Shimada, a recipient of one of Azuki's scholarships, enigmatic and cool-headed, pretty too. And then, of course, there was Eizan Hisakawa-Shino's brother. It had been a hard few days, pinning down these 'sudden departures' and 'unforeseen circumstances' that were more than likely the result of the Project. But Mizuki and Sosuke had used their weight in the Student Council to find information; Minah, Kaneda and Kumori had used the fact they were well-known to try and find out details from friends and classmates; and Shino had roped Mihoko and Mokomichi into a staffroom break-in to get information. The others backed up their efforts. Then, the plan had been put into place. Days of finalising the steps to be taken, poring over the map and working out entry and escape routes, allocating roles, getting the equipment they needed. Now, at last, it was ready.

 _I failed before, but I won't now._

Kumori was more than prepared to do whatever it took tonight, to save them, and to disrupt the project. But first, there was the candlelight vigil. He took a deep breath, then grabbed his bag and left.

 **…**

Yuna had, of course, been to various candlelight vigils in her life. A couple were used as memorial services for members of her church community, another couple to raise awareness of social issues and medical conditions. One of these, she'd even helped set up herself. She had been honoured to be asked by the exchange student who'd bought up the idea to help with the planning, and had finally felt useful. It was hard to deny that she had not been that useful in her own little group, especially as in so many ways they were different. After all, they had wanted to use the vigil to have speeches about the various injustices that Hope's Peak were responsible for, while she had argued that now had not been the time. The vigil was meant for Hana Otsuki and for Riko Izumi, for people to come together and remember them. In that remembering, the issues surrounding their tragic deaths would be brought up for sure, and then they would dwell in people's minds. That was fine, and Yuna wanted that much. But to turn something that was meant to be peaceful and powerful, a dignified send-off into yet another argument. There was a time and place for arguments, but all this was was support. Unity.

Guests had been asked to bring their own candles, but Yuna was on hand with spares, handing them out to those who had forgotten or been unable to bring them along. She bowed respectfully, and thanked people for coming as she did, while Roxana Madison and the other exchange students who had been with her-Rika Okuyama and Maeve Gibson-lit candles and provided covers before directing people to the refreshments.

"Yorokobi-sama, I'll take over." Kumori appeared by her side all of a sudden. "You'll need to get ready for your speech."

"Oh, uh, thank you very much!"

Yuna blushed and handed over the bag of candles. She had been a little hurt when Kumori had been one of the ones who wanted more…impassioned…speeches included. But he had come around, and he'd been nothing but helpful, particularly in directing everyone to where they needed to be, and now here, taking over handing over candles so that she could get ready. _I am so lucky, truly_.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, truly. Besides, I can pass over to Teranaga-sama or one of the others once they are done," Kumori said easily, gesturing to the various places their comrades were.

"Very well then."

She gave Kumori a hesitant smile, and was gratified when he gave one back. If this wasn't such a public scenario, she would have dared to give a chaste kiss on the cheek. But as it was, she smiled a wider smile instead, and then set off.

She went into the school building, and straight to the nearest toilets to splash water on her face and clean up, adjusting the collar of her blouse and making sure her hair was neat. When she went back out to the courtyard, she headed straight to the podium, and climbed the stairs to stand with Roxana, Maeve and Rika.

"Thank you so much for helping us with all this," Roxana gushed. "Mog , Rika and I wouldn't have known what to do without you and all the others who've helped today. I know some of our new classmates don't really like this."

'Mog', Yuna remembered after a brief moment of confusion, was referring to Maeve. It was a nickname that was apparently used with friends of hers, since her middle name was Olivia. Maeve Olivia Gibson-Mog. Yuna smiled internally at the realisation and then focused on the conversation at hand.

"That is simply because they are fools." Yuna said primly. "This is a kind, selfless thing to do and it will benefit many. "

She knew the content of the whispers and protests that had circulated, mostly about how the three exchange students were just uncouth Americans who thought they could stomp over everything. But her group had recognised them as a fresh pair of eyes. Luckily, in the end, the school council and the principals had allowed it to happen, and Yuna couldn't be gladder.

"What's the reading you're doing?" Rika asked curiously.

"I'm doing two, a prayer and a poem. Though don't worry, I am not proselytising." Yuna answered.

"Oh no, I'm sure you're not."

It was at that moment that Nomura called for silence.

"Thank you for coming. We are all here tonight in memory of two students who tragically lost their lives while with us this year. Whether you were closely associated with them or not, we as a school are uniting as a way of honouring their legacies…"

Nomura went on to briefly describe Riko and Hana, and though he did make a point of clearly defining their roles as Main Course and Reserve Course, and seeming to talk more about Riko than Hana, there was nothing particularly inflammatory or unfair in those descriptions that Yuna could discern. Certainly, Mihoko, Minah and Kumori, standing on the other side of the stage, did not seem to be angry or particularly upset. At least, not beyond the general sadness of the circumstances. Then Minah and Mihoko came up to talk together about Hana briefly, the former taking the lead. Yuna had expected Shino to have volunteered for the speech, but they had simply called the vigil idea 'feeble' after their request using it as an opportunity for protest had been quashed. Instead, they'd hung back at their home, preparing for the mission that all of them would be undertaking once the vigil was over.

 _Oh god, don't think about that._

Yuna felt herself shake, and by her side Rika placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be fine." Maeve said behind her.

Knowing that they were assuming she was just getting stage fright, she did her best to smile at them.

"Thank you. Just nerves, you know?"

"Oh, yes, totally!" Roxana whispered back.

Kumori came on, and Yuna made a point of listening fully to him. As he talked, she remembered the pang of jealousy, and hated herself for it once again. Looking back now, it had been such a stupid thing to be jealous about. Kumori respected her wishes about not being inflammatory, and instead his speech urged others to err towards kindness and supporting each other so that others weren't driven to such tragic ends. All the same, she could not help but feel stirred.

"Now, I think I will end with a short poem by a poet called Emily Dickinson, called Not In Vain, simply because it best encapsulates my feelings. If this helps others, then at least my grief and efforts will not have been for nothing. And hopefully, you will feel the same:

If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain:

If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin

Unto his nest again,

I shall not live in vain."

When Kumori finished the poem, he thanked the audience for listening, and then retreated back to the side. Then, Nomura announced her name, and beckoned her forward. She smoothed down her skirt, swallowed, and came to take the stage. She looked out at the sea of candles-most real, but a few pink-and-purple electric ones dotted around as well. Either way, the entire space was illuminated.

"Thank you all for coming today. I have two readings to share with you today to commemorate our lost friends. One of them is a Christian prayer, and while I recognise that not everyone here will share my faith or even have any, I am hoping that the comfort intended in the words will nonetheless reach all. The other, however, is a poem, whose author remains anonymous. I shall start with the prayer…"

Yuna took a deep breath, then said the prayer:

"Heavenly Father,

you have not made us for darkness and death,

but for life with you for ever.

Without you we have nothing to hope for;

with you we have nothing to fear.

Speak to us now your words of eternal life.

Lift us from anxiety and guilt

to the light and peace of your presence,

and set the glory of your love before us;

through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Once the prayer was done, she allowed herself a brief moment to collect herself before she then launched into the poem, which Roxana had shared with her:

"I give you this one thought to keep.

I am with you still. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on the snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush

of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not think of me as gone.

I am with you still in each new dawn."

Once done, she bowed and quickly retreated to the side. She listened to Nomura directing everyone to gathering the paper lanterns to release, and then followed everyone off of the stage to do just that. Acquiring a pink blossom shaped lantern for herself, she felt a swell of emotion. She closed her eyes and pictured both their faces. _I am doing something. Look, I am making a difference._

"Alright, on the count of three….one, two…..three!"

On three, the lanterns were released. Yuna looked up at them, beautiful and ethereal against the dark sky. _I hope that you both can see that, from Heaven. Because despite how you died, I believe you are both there. I need to believe that, and that you are both at peace._

When the lanterns were little more than spots in the clear sky, the crowd dispersed. Many went to put their candles on the table that had been set aside for this purpose, along with a condolences book. Some left immediately, while others lingered to talk and get refreshments. Yuna, for her part, decided to get herself a nice cup of tea once her candle had been put down. Her throat was feeling somewhat parched.

In the queue, she looked around at the people around her. The mood was sombre, but at the same time there was a positive feeling. Hope, closure. Knowing what she knew about Hana's death in particular, she couldn't give into the feeling fully. Yet, it was still there. The vigil had achieved its purpose in the here and now, and she just had to hope that the feeling would last and have longer lasting effects. She picked out members of her group talking to other classmates, members of the public who had joined them, and in Kumori's case, the staff that had turned up for the event. But it was Mihoko talking to an unfamiliar boy. Curious, she kept an eye on them, and once she had received her cup of tea, she walked straight up to them.

"Hello there." She said. "I hope you're both doing well?"

"Thank you, for your readings." The boy said softly. "I think Hana would have liked that poem, in particular."

Almost immediately, Yuna picked up upon his easy, comfortable usage of Hana's first name. And not even that, but the was her name had become laced with emotion when he spoke. Mihoko studied her for a moment, then spoke up.

"This is Riku Matsushita, he is-"

"You were her boyfriend." Yuna blurted out, realising.

Riku blinked and then blushed slightly, running a hand through his dark brown hair. Yuna noted that he was sweet-featured, with a bewildered look to him, though that in particular could have been a product of the situation. Yuna didn't know much about him, but knew enough that he had been a good person and that he and Hana had been devoted to each other. _Such a tragedy, truly._

"Yes, that's right. "He said. "You must be…Yuna Yorokobi? She talked a bit about you. She, well…liked you all really. I would have liked to meet you all, particularly Sakurai-san and her other closest friends, in nicer circumstances. But nonetheless."

Yuna nodded.

"Anyway," Riku said. "I wasn't sure if I should come…I know this was a public event, but it seemed mostly geared at Hope's Peak students…."

"Oh no, no, there was no question of you not being welcome. " Yuna assured him hurriedly.

Riku gave a strained smile.

"Thanks. For all of this, actually….I…I didn't get to attend her funeral." Riku gulped, clearly trying not to cry. "So I didn't really have a chance to say goodbye."

"You didn't?" Yuna asked.

"Her parents." Mihoko said acidly. "They did not let us go either. Claimed it to be a 'family only' service. They were also shifty about me visiting the grave, so I cannot imagine they'd let him visit, either."

"Well now, that's just wrong." Yuna said. "I apologise for that."

"It isn't your fault. " Riku replied. "I just…I feel so helpless. I wasn't able to help her, and now I can't even talk to her. This helped, this really did."

"No, no, I fully understand." Yuna agreed. "That is a tragic state of affairs. Loved ones should be able to have a place to go to in order to remember and communicate with their loved ones. It is a vital part of the grieving process."

"Yes it is. Not that her parents care."

 _There must surely be something that I could do about that…not talk to her parents, for all their faults they have still lost a child, but…._

"Oh!"

"What is it?" Mihoko asked as Riku looked on in concern.

"Sakurai-san, there is something we could do, to help Matsushita-kun mourn."

"You what?"

Mihoko frowned, but before Yuna could clarify as carefully as possible, realisation seemed to dawn.

"You cannot be serious."

"I am."

"But it's a secret."

"One that I think, under the circumstances, he can be trusted with." Yuna argued. "Besides, how can you deny him this? Do you think it is fair?"

"Well, no, but…"

Mihoko sighed, and shook her head.

"Fine, whatever. You're taking responsibility though, alright?"

"Yes, that's fine."

Mihoko shook her head, and walked away. Riku watched her go with bewilderment, then looked over at Yuna.

"Um…I'm not sure I understand."

"We have knowledge of a place you can go to mourn your girlfriend. It won't be the same as her proper grave, and you won't be able to get there without myself, Sakurai-san, or another member of our group, but it will be something. However, it is a secret to others outside of our group and…I am taking a risk in showing it to you. I believe it is one well worth taking, though. Would you like me to show you?"

"I…" Riku blinked, struggling to take in the information. "Yes. Yes please."

Yuna swallowed, suddenly aware of the gravity of what she had decided. But she wasn't going to take it back. Not now. Not when this was the right thing to do.

"Very well, come with me."

It would have been improper to grab his hand to take him through the crowds, so she simply ordered him to keep close and not say anything. However, on the way they encountered Kaneda, who eagerly insisted on coming along (he seemed to have no reservations about showing an outsider the graveyard) and ended up grabbing both of their hands to manoeuvre them there. This, too, was also improper, but Yuna was sure it'd probably be fine since, well, it was Kaneda. Convention didn't quite apply to him in the same way it did other males.

As they got further away from people, Yuna and Kaneda gave Riku a brief explanation of the graveyard, though only the bare-bone details. Riku absorbed these quietly, clearly the type to need to process information in his own head before really reacting to it, meekly following alone. But when the copse the graveyard was in was pointed out to him, he surged ahead and went straight to the large collective Reserve Course stone.

"This…this is…"

"That's the one, yes. " Kaneda said. "You have your time, we won't disturb you."

Almost immediately, Riku dropped to his knees, scanning the stone and then letting out a little sob when he found her name, tracing it over and over with his fingers. His head bowed, and though he remained quiet his shoulders shook hard. Yuna and Kaneda simply stood as sentinels to his grief, either side of him, saying nothing. They both knew that he just needed this moment. So, as Riku traced her name and sobbed, Yuna closed her eyes, praying and wishing fervently.

Then, her phone vibrated.

Putting her hand over the pocket her phone was in, she looked over Riku's head at Kaneda, who had taken out his own phone and nodded soberly at the screen. He looked up, caught her eye. _It's time_ , he mouthed. Then, he crouched down and tapped Riku on the shoulder.

"Hey there bud, I think we should get going."

Riku glanced up, blinking. He rubbed his eyes roughly, then nodded slowly.

"Alright."

He pressed his fingers to Hana's name on the stone one more time, and then got up. He didn't say a word as Yuna and Kaneda led him back the way they came. As they approached the dwindling crowds, Yuna studied the slumped curve of Riku's back, the way his footsteps dragged. He seemed to be trying so badly to hold himself together, but she didn't think he was succeeding. Not when it was about someone he loved, for crying out loud. Not when it was that.

They continued until they were near the school gates, and then they paused. Riku turned to them, and gave a small, weary smile.

"Thank you for that. It is…something."

"No problem man, none at all!" Kaneda exclaimed, clapping Riku on the shoulder and make him startle. "Anything for a beloved kouhai, even one at a different school."

"Um, I thought we were in the same year…" Riku murmured.

"You won't tell another soul of the existence of the graveyard, will you?" Yuna asked.

His soft gaze met her own, and he nodded.

"No. I know. I know."

Riku sighed, seeming to fold into himself just that little bit further. The look of him stabbed into Yuna's heart. How could she, in all conscience, let him go like this?

"Wait."

Riku stared at her, and Yuna goldfish gawped for a moment while her brain took a moment to catch up. Then, she looked in her purse until she found a small notebook and a pen. She scribbled Mizuki's number and address, and then ripped it out.

"We are…trying to change things. "She said, slowly. "So that her death wasn't in vain. I don't know if that will end up bringing comfort to you, but-"

"Who?" Riku asked, almost-whispering.

"Woah, kouhai…"

Yuna ignored Kaneda. She wasn't sure if this would be a good idea, but she'd started now. She was not going to back down. Instead, she held out the ripped page.

"Just a few of us. But we're doing big things, and I guess you could say we're fighting. If you want to join us, in her name. Then….that's the person you'll need to see, really. I'm just a small player. But if it were my boyfriend, and I was given this opportunity….I think that even if I did not understand, I would, because it is true love, and it was the same for you, am I right?"

Riku nodded slowly, biting his lip. Then slowly, he took it. He glanced at it for a moment, then tucked it into his pocket and bowed as though it was a buisness card.

"I'll also need to contact you to…go back, right?" Riku asked.

"That's right."

"Well then….thank you. I'll see you around, I suppose."

Yuna and Kaneda watched Riku leave. Once he had completely disappeared out of view, Yuna let out a breath.

"That was an interesting decision. Are you sure it was right?" Kaneda asked conversationally.

"Yes!" Yuna snapped. "Of course it was."

 _At least, I hope it was._

* * *

 **The prayer was found via a website called 'fitting farewell ' while the two poems were in a Stylist article about non-religious funeral readings.**

 **The American exchange students Jasmine 'Rika' Okuyama, SHSL lexicographer, Maeve 'Mog' Gibson, SHSL Diamantaire and Roxana Madison, SHSL Book Cover Designer (well, I should be saying 'Ultimate' for all of them really) are all my OCs. They will have a few more short appearances in the story.**


	47. Mission Prep

**Hope you're all keeping safe-washing your hands, staying inside etc etc during this lockdown! Hopefully ASIB will be something that helps to keep you entertained too :) There's a server for ASIB as well as OGR if anyone is interested in joining, the link's on my profile.**

 **But anyway, yeah. This chapter's kind of short, but it's one of those that felt necessary. The next one is where all the action is though. Either way, hope you enjoy it, and review if you want/can :) :) :)**

* * *

They stood by the murder board, but just for that moment, they weren't looking at it. They weren't looking at the five faces that had been stuck up there, weren't looking over the other candid pictures and stolen class records or any of the things they'd managed to find to prove that yes, these teenagers had existed once. Instead, Mokomichi and Mizuki stood close together, having a quiet moment. With one of his hands, he held one of hers, and with another he curled a lock of her hair. He wanted more than that, but with the others likely to come in at any second, he didn't dare. Still, this here was something.

"The service was good, wasn't it?" he asked, trying to make it sound as much like _are you alright_ as possible without asking that same question, which he'd asked so many times already. Perhaps that was what he was for, but still, he didn't want to be repetitive.

"Mhm." Mizuki murmured. "It was beautiful. The lanterns, especially…"

"She would have liked it, wouldn't she?"

"She would. But she shouldn't have to…"

Mizuki's voice hitched, and she let her thoughts trail away. She looked Mokomichi straight in the eye, something a little wild in her gaze, and she lifted her free hand to clutch at his hooded jacket. But before Mokomichi could make a move of his own, a calm little throat-clearing had them abruptly let go and turn.

Mihoko walked into the room, hair tied in a low bun and clad in a version of Mokomichi's outfit, though with a scarf around her neck that could be pulled over her head, rather than a hood, and leggings instead of trousers. She raised an eyebrow at the pair of them. Mokomichi felt himself redden a bit, and knew that wasn't escaping her gaze, not for a second.

"I'm not that bothered, but the others are nosy, you know?"

Mokomichi squirmed.

"Yeah, I know."

"What do you know?"

Shino, Sho, Hatsumi, Minah, Kaneda and Kumori came barrelling in. Only Sho and Hatsumi weren't in black clothes, instead in night clothes-Hatsumi in a cutesy pink night-shirt with pandas all over it, her hair in plaits, while Sho just had tracksuit trousers and a band t-shirt (Mokomichi did not recognise the band). Almost immediately, Shino, Hatsumi, Sho and Kaneda swarmed around Mokomichi and Mizuki.

"You're blushing? Why're you blushing?" Hatsumi demanded, before turning to Mihoko. "Why're they blushing?"

"I dunno, ask them." Mihoko shrugged, immediately going on the defensive.

Even as he was rapidly becoming more embarrassed at the scrutiny, Mokomichi couldn't help but notice that Mihoko seemed…off. Perhaps it was grief, perhaps it was not. But before he could think about it further, Shino suddenly declared:

"Aha, I got it! You're dating, aren't you?"

"Wait, they are?"

"Come on, look at the pair of them! They're blushing together, and the way they're standing!" Shino persisted.

"No way. There's no way, right?" Sho asked, eyes bugged out.

Mokomichi exchanged a glance at Mizuki who, though she was possibly redder than he was, caught his eye and nodded slightly.

"Actually, they're right?"

"FOR REAL?"

"Okay, you have got to spill!" Hatsumi declared, putting her hands on her hips. "Come on, I want all the deets!"

Sho, Shino and Kaneda made similar demands, and as the others came in, the excitement seemed to spread. Suddenly, the two of them were under more scrutiny than he knew either of them had anticipated that morning in Mizuki's kitchen.

"There isn't really that much to say!" Mizuki protested eventually. "It's still new. And not a secret, I promise."

"Just…ours."

"Awww, it's the real deal!" Shino exclaimed. "That's so cute."

"It is really nice." Keiko said as she came in, carrying a pile of black clothes. "I'm happy for the pair of you."

"Thanks." Mokomichi said.

"It's nice to see something happy going on," Minah agreed thoughtfully. "Especially after things being the way they are at the moment."

"Speaking of things," Mizuki said quickly. "Let's get down to buisness."

Her tone was quick and decisive, and it worked, getting everyone to settle down in different parts of the panic room. Mokomichi could see the relief clear on her face though, and held back a smile.

"Alright," she said, "So first stage: we have Kang-san, Kaneda-sempai. Hisakawa-san and Kurogane-kun, you'll be following the route we established to try and find our missing students."

"And Eizan."

"And Eizan." Mizuki confirmed, glancing up at the photograph of the young man. "You'll be wearing your body cameras, of course, and you have your…armoury."

"Confirmed." Kumori said seriously.

Next to him, Kaneda gave a salute, and though his eyes twinkled he was entirely serious.

"If you can gather any more information, then you of course must." Sosuke added. "But discretion is the key here. If you can't get through without being seen at all, then make sure they don't see your faces at all."

Shino held up a fistful of what Mokomichi knew to be black surgical masks.

"Good old Usui stitched these for us." They stated. "As well as some of the other clothes we got together for this mission."

At that moment, Keiko came back in with plates of food, Azuki following. Mokomichi hadn't even noticed that they'd left, but they barely made a noise as they set down the food and joined the group. She looked at them uncertainly.

"Did I hear my name?"

"Just talking about the clothes. You did good." Shino said flippantly.

Keiko blushed, and looked over at the pile of black clothes.

"Hopefully that'll be enough to last us." She said.

"It should be more than enough," Mizuki stated. "Enough for all of us, should we all need to go incognito."

"Should we take some for Eizan-san and the others?" Minah wondered. "I mean, we don't know what they'll be wearing."

Mizuki tapped her fingers against her lips thoughtfully as she considered this.

"Take a hooded fleece or a jacket for each of them, but not more than that." Sosuke advised. "It will weigh you down, which will prove a problem if you need to escape. Escape should be your priority."

"He's right." Mokomichi agreed. "It'll take too much time to change their full clothes. They can always be clothed afterwards."

"I can sort something out from what we have here." Keiko offered. "Something to do while you're all out there."

"That would be good, thank you." Mizuki nodded.

Once again, Keiko beamed and blushed.

"How do we even have so much ninja get up again?" Sho wondered absently.

"It's just because we pooled together all the black clothes we had, y'know, like we _just said_ ," Azuki snorted. "It's not that deep."

"Besides, don't you know," Kaneda teased. "Ninja get-up is a girl's best friend."

"I thought that was little black dresses." Yuna said in confusion.

"No, little black dresses are the go-to for formal occasions." Mihoko explained knowledgably.

"Which is close enough. It's _diamonds_ that are a girl's best friend." Hatsumi stated confidently. "I would know."

"Course you would." Azuki said, rolling his eyes.

"We're really bad at staying on-topic, aren't we?" Mokomichi remarked.

He could not help but find all of this funny, and feeling glad that it was something else causing the distraction.

"Yes," Sosuke said, simply. "We are."

Sosuke didn't follow up on that, simply leaning back and waiting. Mizuki glanced at him, then shrugged and continued.

"Right, so, back to that. Including journey times we're estimating a couple of hours for you to get in there, and then back out to the graveyard. Then another fifteen minutes until you're reaching the honeysuckle lane."

This was the shorthand for the small alleyway that Shino and Hatsumi had informed them of, tucked well out of the way, with inexplicably honeysuckle covered walls.

"And by then, we should be there." Mokomichi added, pointing to Mihoko and then to Azuki.

The latter pulled a face, but Mihoko seemed impassive. Giving her a sideways glance, Mokomichi noticed that she'd isolated herself from Shino and Hatsumi, even though they were the ones she was actual friends with. _Come to think of it, she's been funny with them since we found out about this mess._ He was surprised that neither of them had picked up on it. Indeed, they acted as they always had. When Mihoko noticed him staring, she narrowed her eyes, and he quickly looked away. _I'll ask her what's up later._

"We'll time it from when you've said you've reached the entrance." Mokomichi added. "So we'll make sure to be at the lane roughly when we'd expect it to be half-an-hour before you reach there."

"Sounds good to me!" Kaneda said. "Then you can help us get them back in here and…"

"And then what?" Azuki asked. "I mean, yeah they can crash for a few nights, but after."

"We need to rescue them first." Mizuki said decisively. "Once we have them here, we can decide what exactly to do. It'll depend on a lot, including their physical state and what they're able to tell us about what happened to them."

"I suppose so." Minah said thoughtfully.

They talked through a few more scenarios, and then, decisively, Mizuki said:

"Alright, I think we're prepared." She said. "I think now would be a good time to eat-the food still smells amazing."

Quickly, Keiko, Azuki and Yuna handed out plates and cups and served. Then, just as they were all about to give thanks for the food, Kumori stopped them.

"Rather than thanks-though I am, naturally, grateful." He said. "May we do a toast?"

"To Otsuki-san?" Mizuki asked.

Kumori nodded, and everyone looked at each other, none of them sure of what to say. Eventually, Mokomichi sighed, and held up his glass of juice.

"Is she not what we're all here for?"

"He's right." Mihoko said, much to his surprise. "Let's toast her. And use her name."

At that, they all looked at Mizuki, who blinked, and then nodded.

"Alright."

She lifted her own cup, and held it in front of her.

"For Hana?"

 _For, rather than to. Hmmm. Seems fitting to me._ Everyone else extended their glasses, the clink resonating through the room.

"For Hana."

 **…**

Keiko and Azuki stood in silence as they washed the dishes together. She'd insisted to them all that she hadn't needed any help, but Azuki had stubbornly followed her out anyway, pointing out that dishes for thirteen extremely hungry people was a tad different to clearing up for a family of five. He'd been stubborn about helping her prepare the food, too, and so eventually she yielded. It was nice, to have the help. Or rather, that Azuki was operating on the assumption that she needed the help, rather than assuming that this was her domain and therefore it was all fine. There was no way that he understood the subtleties of her situation and feelings, because she had made sure that nobody would, but she was sure he understood more than he seemed to give away. Even if he didn't realise it.

"Do you think they'll actually be able to pull it off?" Azuki asked, suddenly as he took a glass from her and dried it.

"Of course they will!" Keiko immediately responded.

"Such blind faith." Azuki rolled his eyes, though there was something fond in his tone, at least.

"Don't you believe in them? They're our friends, after all." Keiko asked in confusion, handing him a couple of plates before going to deal with the next one.

"Well yeah, sure, I guess. " Azuki said. "They're not completely stupid, and we planned this to death. But you can't deny this is by far the biggest thing we've tried to do, and a lot more physically involved, to boot."

"That's true." Keiko nodded. "I can't help but worry, though I know they're strong."

This was true. She'd been involved in their mapmaking, had even identified a possible route in via the labs. She'd equipped them with masks to use so they wouldn't be affected by the 'stinkbombs' she'd made for them to slow down any pursuers, should they need to (the 'stinkbombs' naturally producing more than a stink). It was impossible to deny the danger, but even so…

"Also, they're not my friends. Well, collectively, we can't say that we're friends, can we? It's too simple a word, isn't it?"

Keiko gave Azuki a sideways look, then shrugged.

"Perhaps. But I consider them my friends."

 _It's why I'm here, after all._

"That's why I believe in them. And you." She continued, gently. "You'll be fine."

"Pffft," Azuki huffed crossly. "I was trying to _not_ think of that. Besides, in comparison to them, I have the easier job really. I was hardly going to back gallivanting around _there_."

"In truth, it's the rest of us staying here that have it easier." Keiko said. "But regardless, you'll be alright, I promise."

Azuki opened his mouth to protest as Keiko handed him the last of the dishes to dry, but was cut off when Yuna stormed in, looking more than slightly put out.

"What's wrong, Yorokobi-chan?" Keiko asked.

"They're sleeping together!"

"I'm sorry, _what_?" Azuki asked.

"Well, not like that, but they've moved their sleeping bags together, and they're not listening to me when I say that's inappropriate!"

The last word was practically ground out as Yuna gritted her teeth in frustration, stamping her foot briefly, the way a spoilt child would. Except that there was true distress in her pretty eyes, in the way they looked pleadingly at Keiko, the way she was shaking ever so slightly. Keiko quickly went over and put a hand soothingly on Yuna's shoulder.

"It's hardly your buisness though, is it?" Azuki asked before moving to clean up around the sink.

"Bu-"

"Sawada-kun has a point," Keiko quickly said, soothingly. "How they conduct their relationship isn't really any worry of ours unless it could be harmful."

"But that is harmful, or at least, it's not right!" Yuna protested, almost tearful. "It's…it's…"

"Faster than how you would go, with Kurogane-kun?" Keiko asked.

"Mmmm."

"I mean, with all due respect, all relationships are different and you'd know that better than all of us, right?" Azuki jumped in unexpectedly.

Yuna glanced over at him, askance.

"Y-yeah."

"Then, there you go. " Azuki said.

"He's right." Keiko said, placating. "Their idea of how their relationship should progress will be different to yours, but that doesn't mean that they are necessarily wrong or that they won't be happy. They seemed happy, anyway, when the others were interrogating them."

This last bit she said with a laugh, hoping to get a smile out of Yuna. It didn't quite work, and her mouth wobbled slightly.

"They did." She admitted. "I just want them to continue being happy, that's all."

"And that's understandable, and admirable." Keiko said. "But just remember that everyone's different before jumping in, alright?"

Yuna hesitated, and nodded. Finally, she started to relax. _Oh, thank goodness._ Keiko wasn't sure how much further she would have been able to proceed. Comfort was one thing, but a specific solution for something like this…that was a little beyond her. But it wasn't a worry now, because she'd managed to help. Managed to continue to be meaningful.

"Alright. Then…I should apologise, I guess. I may have been…scolding."

This earned a snort from Azuki.

"Yeah, you should." He said. "Also, can I just point out that there's what, eight or nine of us around until we have to go? They don't strike me as voyeuristic so they're hardly going to be _doing it_ down there in the room. From what you've said all they've got going on is proximity"

Any lingering concern disappeared as Yuna spluttered and went red, clearly scandalised. She tried and failed multiple times to articulate a response, and eventually was reduced to outraged coughing. Quickly, Keiko gave her a glass of water, that was eagerly gulped down.

"Look yeah, that's what you were partially thinking, right?" Azuki said in response to the glare shot at him from over Yuna's glass. "So I'm telling you that you're off base."

"Yes, but you did not need to be quite so _crude_." Yuna said, a little too primly.

Azuki snorted and rolled his eyes, and Keiko breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come on," she said, companionably. "Let's go and get some rest."

"Yeah," Azuki said. "I'd actually like to get some sleep before it's my turn to step up."


	48. Mercy

Though Kaneda kept a smile on his face to keep positive, he couldn't help but feel nervous. He was one of the lucky ones, he knew. Someone who could have been a victim, but had not been. Yet, it wasn't all clear and free. Practically every day before he left the house, if his parents were not there themselves to remind him to not say anything, there would be a note, discreetly placed under the fruit bowl, which he quickly got rid of before Kagami could see it. And he could see the worry on their faces, the thought of what might happen if Hope's Peak decided that they could no longer be trusted to keep it secret. He worried about it too, but he was better at hiding it. Indeed, he had not even bought up the concern to the others, though he would soon. He believed in them, knew they'd find a way.

After all, they'd managed this. If they were not able, if they were not the ones who had the power to change things, then they would not have gotten to this point, all clad in 'ninja get-up' and creeping towards the school, ready to break in in the dead of night and enter the secret heart of it. They wouldn't have worked out who it was they would need to be saving.

 _We can do this. I believe._

"Alright," Shino said, coming to a halt at the edge of the forest, where it stopped being a mere forest and became part of Hope's Peak's land.

."We need to check that our body-cams are working. Kurogane, you got them?"

"Yes," Kumori said, reaching into his bag to pull out the small clip-on cameras, which he then handed out.

When Kaneda received his, he fiddled with it and, seeing the little white light flash to indicate that it was one and working, he pinned it to his clothes, and then found his balaclava and put it on over his head. Up to here, it'd been fine to go without it, but from this point, he knew it was essential that he obscured his face even more. Particularly his scar and the green streaks in his hair. Minah and Kumori also had balaclavas, but Shino had opted for a full-face black mask and a beret ('because let's face it, my face is generic' she'd explained). Once they were all camera-ed and masked-up, Shino looked at them expectantly.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" Kaneda said cheerfully.

"Mhm." Minah said, softly.

She sounded sad and worried, and Kaneda couldn't blame her. He knew that being the responsible, conscientious person she was, she was definitely particularly concerned with Isamu's welfare, and more than likely regretting she hadn't noticed signs earlier. But how could she have? It'd poleaxed all of them. He personally would never have dreamed that Hope's Peak could stoop this low. Somehow, even with everything that he had seen and experienced this year, he still couldn't quite reconcile it.

 _But it's here, and it's real._

Since Shino was more or less the sneaking-around expert of their little group (there was Sho, but he'd been deemed not able to adequately flee while looking after a victimised student; as for Emiko, she was now Hatsumi so it sort of went without saying that she couldn't be there), they led the way, effortlessly zipping across the route they'd so carefully mapped out, taking advantage of the foliage, doing their best to evade the security cameras (though during the memorial, Sho'd managed to slip away to spray-paint some of them. Quite how he'd managed it Kaneda wasn't sure when he'd been chatting up most of his classmates the entire time when there weren't speeches or reading, but he had, and Kaneda was happily impressed. All the same, Kaneda kept his head down, his focus on Shino, and matched their speed as they made their way around to where the labs were.

As they clustered around the door, Kumori took out a little device that Kaneda was reliably informed was a 'bypasser', and attached it to the Electro-ID reader. A few beeps later, and the door clicked, and Shino pulled it open, though not before giving Kumori a thumbs-up and a big grin.

"Alright," they whispered once they were all on the other side of the door. "Remember, straight through here, into the next one, then the cupboard on the left."

Where there would be a secret door. It was something like out of a kids' mystery novel, the type that Kagami pretended she was too girly to read but still did sometimes. The type he'd read a lot of as a kid. _All terribly, terribly exciting. But tragic, too._ Kaneda quickly clamped on his grin and quickly followed them straight through the lab, turning left into the next one, and then heading to the cupboard. Slowly, carefully, Shino unlocked it with the key left carelessly in the lock, and then they all carefully pushed the items inside aside so that Shino could feel for the hidden opening that would swing the door open.

Once it opened, they were confronted with another door that startled Kaneda, since Shino hadn't mentioned anything about this one. It was metal and fitted with a keypad lock. However, Shino simply smiled over their shoulder at them.

"It'll be one of two things-1932 or 2032. Both self-explanatory."

With their gloved fingers, Shino deftly tried 2032, and the keypad flashed green for a moment. Shino waited a beat, then pushed the door open in a smooth, silent motion. Again, another grin thrown over their shoulder, this one triumphant:

"We're in."

Kaneda grinned back and felt his stomach churn, just a little. But his blood fizzed, and more than anything, he felt resolute. The thrill of it felt almost like fuel.

"We can do it," he whispered to the others. "I believe in you all."

Kumori nodded, and Shino flashed a grin before turning to lead the way. Minah, however, seemed too troubled to do anything resembling either reaction. Kaneda gave her another smile, but though he really wanted to offer her a sticker, he couldn't, since he'd left them back with his memorial-wear at Shino's place.

Then, they headed into the unknown.

 **…**

The narrow corridors, clinical white walls and sinister blue lighting weren't strange to Shino. Not even slightly. They hadn't ventured _that_ much further beyond this point, or the point at which they'd entered through other ways, including the entrance that came through Principal Naegi's office. But they knew enough to feel confident in leading the way. Though they wished sorely that Emiko had been with them. She would have got such a kick out of a mission like this, and so would Hatsumi. But for all their recklessness, the fearless enthusiasm for which they'd grasped at this plan in the first place, they knew they couldn't. Not when it'd harm her. They may not have loved her in the way that Emiko had at least partially wanted, once, but all the same. Whether as Emiko, or as Hatsumi, she was one of their own.

 _And so are these people,_ Shino reminded themselves. _Like it or not, they are your people. They have your back here. You have no choice but to let them._ Even if one was a goody-two-shoes whose continued presence was surprising, and another was just a complete weirdo who they couldn't even read half the time. Kumori, they weren't too worried about. Though stiff and solid and with that dreadfully quaint insistence on addressing them as _Hisakawa-sama_ , he showed occasional flares, there was a spark that appeared in his eyes whenever the injustices had got bought up. Something had been building up in him, from the moment that that girl in the main course had committed suicide, and Shino could respect that.

"Are you sure," Kumori asked now in a whispery growl. "That we should not be looking in these other rooms?"

"They're either your stereotypical chemistry-oriented labs, filled with computers, or storage spaces of various kinds. Oh, and that room that Sawada was taken to, that one time. Wherever they're being kept, it is going to be a much, much wider room. "

Shino said this in a voice that was completely unlike their own-a grumpy old lady voice, lifted from a particularly crabby middle-school librarian Shino remembered well. They had not had the time to coach the others on completely transforming their voices, instead quickly advising them to whisper, growl or find other ways to change the tone of their voices. It was 2032, after all, it was entirely possible that even if they managed to remain completely anonymous via look, that their voices could give them up. And there was no way in HELL Shino was going to let something as small as that do it.

"Oh."

They continued on, peering through windows at Shino's direction or slowly opening doors-the vast majority were not locked or coded in any specific way, and this was for the very simple reason that once past the thresholds of the entrances, very, very few people were allowed in anyway. The entire existence of this secret lair, practically woven into the school's architecture but so very expertly hidden, was privileged in the first place. They were simply arrogant, assuming that that level of secrecy was more than enough. It was why, for example, they did not have security cameras in these corridors, only within the labs themselves. Why only a few doors were pass-coded or in need of a card or ID to open them. Most were traditional lock-and-key affairs, though in fairness they were usually locked.

Eventually though, after many twists and turns, and a few panicky moments when they'd had to dive into a completely different corridor fork to evade people going from one room to another, they reached a large wooden door. Shino vaguely recognised it-more than likely, it was one they'd gone past on previous excursions.

"There aren't any other doors along this stretch of wall," Minah said. "So possibly, it could be large enough…?"

"It is certainly worth a try." Kumori nodded.

Shino made to try the door, but fought off a wave of irritation as Kaneda got there first, jiggling the doorknob and then grinning, swinging his bag off of his back to pull out a lock-pick and then try that. It didn't take him very long at all to be able to open the door, and they were in.

The room was indeed quite large, like a shared hospital ward, with cupboards and workbenches built in along the walls, like a border. The space was enough to fit at least twelve hospital beds, possible a few more with squeezing. However, Shino spotted a large number of folded hospital beds stashed against one wall in a space occupied with neither workbench nor cupboard. It did not take very long for them to work out why this was the case.

"Oh my god."

Minah's hands flew to her mouth as they all looked at the five beds that had been laid out. In each, a figure lay, hooked up to IV drips and machines, including oxygen masks and a heart-rate monitor, silently tracking what looked like extremely quiet, if steady, pulses in harsh green lines over a black screen. The four of them stepped closer, and noticed that all of them had bruises of varying intensity and colour, that underneath their skin seemed unnaturally pale.

The weight had slipped over them, a difference that seemed most stark on the boy Shino knew to be Haruya Izanagi by the messy brown hair and plain, slightly scrunched features that bore the mark of having once belonged to a chubby person. Now, though, his nose and ears seemed too large for his face, shrunken in, and other parts seemed flabby, as if cast adrift without the correct body type to anchor them. Isamu had been muscular, but his wrists and ankles, poking out of the hospital-blue, paper tunics all of them were in, seemed frail, bird-like. Shino pretended not to notice Minah breathe in and out heavily to try and steady herself as she brushed Isamu's hair in a motherly way, gasping at extra injuries. It looked, even at a glance, as if he'd tried to fight back and had failed.

Yuki Shimada's hair, once so meticulously styled, was undone and left to stream messily over her pillow. It was sallow, and when Shino leaned in closer to try and examine her, it stunk slightly. Risato Han looked even sallower than she had in her daily life, and her face was contorted in pain under the oxygen mask. Though her eyes were screwed shut, Shino thought that they could detect redness in them. Healed cuts all over her suggested that she, too, had tried hard to fight.

"I…I'll look through the paperwork." Kumori said hoarsely, voice quivering. "See if there is anything that could help us help them."

"I will help too, Kouhai." Kaneda said. "I am quite a fast reader, myself."

"Do not forget to make sure you capture the pages on camera." Shino ordered brusquely.

Minah moved away from Isamu's bed, and joined Shino as they headed towards the very last bed. _Oh fuck, fuck, my hands are shaking._ Shino thrust them in their pockets, and then stopped right by the bed that belonged to Eizan Hisakawa.

He was much the same as the others were. Bruised, diminished, pale. Messy, unwashed. But what struck Shino the most was that they looked the _same_. Eizan Hisakawa was supposed to be a 25 year old man, but he looked like he was still a fifteen year old kid. Just a kid, like they were. Underneath the oxygen mask and the wires and the mistreatment, he looked like the few photos that Shino had managed to ferret out and hide away, exactly like the stats in that dreadful, dreadful Appendix C-3. He had not changed, had not grown. If anything, he looked lesser than he had ten years ago.

Flashes of something too bright, fleeting to be called memory flickered in Shino's head. An itchy, frilly dress; ice-cream held so carefully, every taste savoured; bright grins; gleeful, unfiltered laughter; _"Nii-chan! I missed you!";_ the safety of clasped hands; cooing and head-patting; _"don't be shy, they're my friends"; "this is my little sister, the one I'm always telling you about"_ ; sunset and tears; hugs; a promise: _"it's okay, I'll play with you again soon, next time they're out of town"._ And with those in the back of their mind, and the sight in front of them, Shino knew. They knew.

"How are we going to get them out?" Minah asked, worriedly. "They're so frail and they need medical attention, and none of us have a medical background."

Shino whipped around skewered her with a glare. It was taking all of their energy to not break down, right here and now. _"it's okay, I'll play with you again soon, next time they're out of town", except there hadn't been a next time, because…because…_

"We're not."

The words were enough to make Kumori and Kaneda turn around from where they'd been examining files.

"You what?" Kaneda asked.

"Getting them out." Shino said. "At least, not like this."

"Should one of us go back out?" Kumori asked. "Get back-up in here."

"No, I don't think it's going to make a difference." Kaneda said. "Based on what we've been reading, they currently cannot breathe by themselves, the process of leaching out their personalities and memories has taken with it other functions, too. And they were 'resistant' to the procedures, whatever that meant. Han-kouhai there, for example, apparently has a number of chemical allergies that complicated things. As did your lovely brother, hence his state."

"So…." Minah asked uncertainly.

"We can't rescue them by taking them away." Kaneda said, opening his eyes suddenly. "But I am sure that none of you would want to leave them here as they are."

 _He gets it,_ Shino realised giddily, _he gets it._ Shino found they couldn't speak though, and so simply nodded. Kumori and Minah simply looked between the two of them, then at each other.

"It would be a mercy." Kaneda said.

At the word mercy, the other two finally seemed to get it. Both of them reared back, but Minah seemed the most shaken. She quite literally trembled, eyes widening behind her balaclava.

"That is…you can't be suggesting that we kill them."

"What would you have us do?" Shino said. "You're not stupid."

"But that's _murder_."

"No, it would be a mercy." Kumori said simply, echoing Kaneda. "Leaving them here, to endure this for however long until their bodies cannot take it any longer. That would be murder."

"This would simply set them free from their torment." Kaneda said. "We would still be saving them."

Minah opened her mouth, then closed it. She rubbed her face underneath her balaclava, then straightened it. She took a deep breath, and then gazed at Eizan thoughtfully. Shino, Kaneda and Kumori simply watched silently as she went to each bed, bending over each of them, looking over them carefully, occasionally making an attempt at straightening tunics or smoothing hair. Motherly, inexplicably tender. Then, she reached Osamu, and after doing the same for him, stood there, back turned to them. After what felt like an eternity, she looked over at them.

"How…how would we…"

"I guess take off the oxygen mask?" Kumori asked uncertainly.

Shino nodded.

"That, unplug and pull out everything else."

"We'd need to be sure though, so we'd need to administer something…" Kaneda said thoughtfully.

"I will not poison them." Minah said, almost vicious in her emotion.

"A pillow," Shino said, struck by inspiration. "The masks, then cover with the pillow, then unplug everything else."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Kaneda said, chipper, eyes closed once again.

"And to me." Kumori agreed. "Kang-sama? I know, this is painful, but don't you see? This is the only way. And it isn't our fault, not really. It is theirs, all theirs."

"The responsibility for our deeds still lies with us, though." Minah said sadly.

But she walked back over to them, all the same.

"Alright," Kaneda said. "How about you two work on freeing your brother, then we'll work on Han-kouhai here, and then we will alternate?"

"Call it what it is," Minah murmured as the two boys sauntered off. "We're killing them. We have to at the very least be able to own up to that."

Minah carefully unhooked the mask covering Eizan's face, and then, letting it lie on the bed, quickly moved down and worked on unhooking the IV drip. Shino stood there, looking down at Eizan's face, now fully revealed. They imagined their mouth curving around words once spoken to them, a promise unwittingly broken: _"it's okay, I'll play with you again soon, next time they're out of town"._

Then, slowly, they tugged the pillow out from Eizan's head, making sure it didn't shake him too much. Though why, they were not sure, given that Eizan was about as responsive as a crash-test dummy. But all the same, they could not help but hesitate before carefully pressing the pillow over Eizan's face, and holding it there. They did not look down, instead staring at Minah, who studiously avoided looking at them as they continued to unhook things, pausing to wipe a spot on his leg where ripping something away had caused a small bleed. Minah's movements were steady, small and precise, designed to hide her trembling but not fully succeeding. She did not even check to see that they were done before she went straight to Yuki Shimada. Once the heart monitor showed a completely flat line, Shino yanked all the wires from that away from Eizan, too, and risked a look at him. Essentially, he looked unchanged from moments ago, except perhaps smaller. But Shino could tell, looking, that any last scrap of life had left.

Taking Eizan's pillow with them, they went to Yuki Shimada. Once again, Minah did the machines, leaving Shino to be the one to cover the girl's face with a pillow. Once again, they did not look at what they were doing, instead glancing over at where the boys were still with Risato. Kaneda had the pillow over her face and was regarding her with mild scrutiny.

"She's fitting."

When Kaneda said this, Shino noticed that Risato did indeed seem to be convulsing slightly without the IV drip or the oxygen mask. But as Yuki's heart machine flat-lined, Risato's movements seemed to lessen very, very slightly, and then eventually, the same happened to her.

As Kaneda and Kumori went to Haruya, Shino went to join Minah, who'd long since started on Isamu. For a moment, they stood and watched her mechanically work, and something bubbled in them.

"It's your turn." Shino hissed.

Minah looked up, clearly uncomprehending.

"Pillow. You do it. You don't get to _pretend_ that you're somehow better than us, because you're only undoing something. Besides, this one's your pet, right? You do it, _goddammit_. You do it."

It was only a few lines, but it took more out of Shino than they'd expected, and not just because they'd uttered them in a dragon-librarian voice. Minah did not say anything, simply nodding and stepping up to the other end of the bed, and pulling Isamu's pillow out from under his head. She settled him back down, tidied him up once again, then knelt by his ear and whispered something to him. Shino could only assume that it was _I'm sorry._

They decided not to be mean and stare Minah down while she did the deed, and instead concentrated on the wires. Once they were done, they sauntered over to where the boys were having similar issues with Haruya-convulsing, with raspy breathing accompanying each tremor.

"Both of you hold the pillow." Shino said, eventually. "I'll do the rest of the wires."

Kumori left his post to help Kaneda, and then Shino set to work. They were aware of hearing Minah let out a gasp, and then undo Isamu's heart monitor, before coming over to join him, but didn't look over. Instead, they kept their eyes on Haruya, watching and waiting until finally, finally, the rasping stopped and the convulsions stilled. Waiting, until finally, there was a flat line.

"Done." Kumori murmured, bleakly. "All done."

Shino nodded, and went over to pull out the wires from the heart monitor.

"Yes, we are."

But just as Kumori let go of the pillow and stepped away and just as Shino was about to suggest that now was the time to leave, there was a click. Immediately, they all froze, looking to the door opposite to the one they'd snuck through, a pass-coded door. Another click, and as they watched in horror, a man stepped through. Not an old guy, not one of the advisors as far as Shino could discern, but a youngish man, bespectacled and light haired, his lab-coat dwarfing him in terms of both height and girth. He wasn't fully paying attention to his surroundings, busy as he was studying something pinned to a traditional clipboard, while tucking a phone into his pocket. He didn't look up as he went to the side where Kumori had been photographing documents just moments ago, putting his clipboard down and taking a pencil out from his pockets. He scribbled something, and then put the pencil down on the table, and absent-mindedly reached for a sheaf of papers, riffling through.

"Funny, they seem out of order…" the man mused, stretching slightly.

Then, he turned around.

Minah was directly in his line of sight, some steps away from all of them. Her eyes and the scientist's widened simultaneously, locked in shock. Then, the scientist's mouth fell open.

"What on earth? How did you get in here?"

The scientist moved, though to do what precisely Shino couldn't tell. But it was enough to shake them all out of the moment. Kumori, nearby and not by any particular person's bed, quickly strode a few steps to where some folded hospital beds were, and with a disturbingly smooth motion, threw them down such that they formed a barrier blocking the scientist in. Kaneda, in a move that Shino would later praise as being really inspired, pulled the sheets out from the body of Risato, dislodging her slightly in the process, and then throwing the sheets over the scientist, covering him completely and making him flail to try and get out. But of course, boxed in and covered like that, the scientist seemed only to get himself more stuck, not less.

"Go!" Kumori rasped.

The pillow Shino had been holding, unable to let go of (it had traces of Eizan, after all), slipped from their grasp. Despite a sudden flare of anguish, Shino let it fall to the ground, and followed the others as they teared down this new corridor.

"Do…do you know where we're going?" Minah called out.

"Shhhh!" Shino scolded. "But yes. Just follow me! Follow me!"

For a while, they were able to run further down, around bends and into new corridors, without any obstacles. But it was inevitable that the scientist would manage to extricate himself and call for help, and so soon enough, there were footsteps and shouts thundering behind them, threatening to catch up.

Most of them seemed to be other scientists, and many seemed stereotypical. Male, but older, and not that fit, so with speed and stamina alone it was a great deal easier to simply outrun them. Shino had never run quite so fast in their life, and they were willing to bet that none of the others hadn't either. Reaching the end of the corridor, Shino turned, then spotted a door to what they realised was a storage cupboard. Frantically, they turned to look at the others and gestured wildly, since their pursuers were too far to notice, and then dived straight into the cupboard. The others followed suit, practically falling on each other, but they managed to not make a squeak.

Shino held their breath and then waited as the footsteps advanced. In the dim blue-lit dark of the cupboard, the four of them slowly straightened, unpeeling off of each other in tiny motions at a time so that they wouldn't make a noise and give away their position.

"Perhaps we should take something." Minah practically mouthed. "To knock someone out or disarm them."

She nodded towards the random objects that were crammed into the shelves around them. _You mean, rather than kill them with the knives we've each got? Or even our own skills?_ Shino somehow thought that they were a bit past the worry of killing others at this point, but this was hardly the place to needle Minah about it. Even someone like them could recognise it.

 _Eizan._

So, instead, they smiled and nodded, and as the stampede went past, and what presumably were walkie-talkies crackled, each of them grabbed something at random, and then, once there was silence again, they slowly slipped out of the cupboard door. They made it down two turns smoothly when they were confronted by two security guards. They didn't seem to recognise any of the four of them, but Shino recognised them. Two of the guards that they had seen around the school. Patrolling the grounds, supervising the party, over-reacting at the riots. The revelation that these people were in on it was too much for Shino to contemplate. _Later. Remember their faces, but save it for later._

"Oh, it's just kids. " one of them said scornfully.

"Dunno how they managed to get in here," the other said, as though they couldn't here. "But they will sure regret it."

Minah glanced over at the three of them, and then before Shino could say anything, stepped forward, getting into what they assumed was a fighting glance. Kaneda followed suit, though his stance was different.

"Run." Kaneda said, voice carefully controlled.

The fight began almost immediately, and if it wasn't for the urgency of the situation Shino would almost have been mesmerised by how Minah span and kicked and threw out punches to evade and ward off the guard, while Kaneda seemed to almost be taunting them in how he moved purely in response to how the guards moved, so that despite their age and their stature they were disoriented, stumbling. While Minah did not reach for the crowbar she'd tucked into her waistband, Kaneda wielded his with ease.

But the moment of enchantment disappeared, and Kaneda's command filtered into their brain, and Shino obeyed blindly, running and running. Kumori's footsteps pounded behind them, but then slowed.

Astonished, Shino turned.

"What?"

"We can't leave them." Kumori whispered.

"What?"

"We can't."

Then, before Shino could argue, Kumori ran back the way they had come. Shino stared, then hefted the weight of the bottle they were holding in their hand. Quite what it was they had no idea, but it was heavy. Enough to pack a punch. Shino shook their head, and ran back behind Kumori.

As they approached, they saw Kaneda twist, then fall to the ground in what Shino assumed was an evasive gesture, but just as the guard lunged to one side, and Kaneda tried to go the other way, the other guard managed to grab him in a restraining hold, something akin to a bear hug. Minah moved to kick at the guard's hold, but then the other managed to grab her leg.

Shino did not stop to think or to feel, instead advancing immediately and crashing the glass straight on the head of the guard holding Kaneda. Shards of the glass fell everywhere, as did a noxious smelling liquid, and it was more than enough to make the other guard let go of Minah, who wobbled for a moment but then managed to gracefully regain her footing. Kaneda and Minah ran around the guards to Shino, adjusting their own face coverings, while the guards flailed.

"Why, you…"

The one who'd been holding Minah by the leg had a truly fearsome expression contorting his face, and he reached out-and then gasped as all of a sudden, Kumori barrelled into his side. As he fell, he let out a howl of pain, absolutely astonished. It seemed far more than the situation warranted until Kumori turned to strike the other guard who had gotten up and was starting to loom over him. The force of the plank of wood Kumori had found was enough to down him once again. But the sequence of events also revealed that the first guard had a knife in his side.

"When did you get that out?" Shino whispered huskily.

Kumori flicked a look at them, face completely devoid of…anything. They swiftly walked over and pulled the knife out, not even flinching as the guard let out another shriek. They took off their bag, chucked the knife in, and then put their bag back on, all in calm and considered movements. Shino blinked, not quite able to compute, then reasoned there were better things to be worrying about. Immediately, they set off running again.

"When we're near the exit door," they said, "Or if you hear anyone else coming, set off the 'stink bombs'"

"All of us?" Kaneda asked.

"All of us." Shino confirmed.

They kept running and running, Shino able to get ahead of them to lead the way once again, and they were mostly unhindered. But once again, footsteps soon advanced.

"ALRIGHT, ONE, TWO, THREE…"

Shino reached into the little side pouch the 'stink bombs' (Keiko had said they would be nasty little buggers, though not in those words), and on three, along with the others, tossed the little globes behind them and then they yanked open the door and kept moving.

Moving, moving, moving, until the cool air of the outdoors hit their face. But still, they kept moving.

 **…**

Their pursuers did not follow them outside, whether that was because they didn't want to cause a scene or because they'd been overpowered, Shino wasn't sure. But they knew that it wasn't safe to flag, not even as their limbs started to scream at them and their throat started to feel papery. So they kept going and going, only relenting a little as they got closer to the graveyard, and then only relaxing once they were deep in the forest proper. Masks and balaclavas were ripped off, and almost instantly, Shino doubled over, exhaustion hitting them in waves. Now it was safe to, they let it. Out of the corner of their eye, they noticed Kaneda slump to the ground, and Kumori almost mechanically get an energy drink pouch out of his bag to drink. They could hear the sound of retching behind them, and though they didn't-couldn't-turn to check, assumed that it was Minah. A few moments later, they noticed Kumori get up to go and assist, and after another few moments, he returned with Minah, now drinking some water, and looking ghastly. Her eyes were haunted, and Shino was not so far gone that they didn't noticed how she shrank away from both Kumori's and Kaneda's efforts to comfort.

Gradually, though, the hammering in their chest started to slow, but as it did, as they managed to straighten, all of a sudden there was a keening noise. Rising and wobbling, halfway between sob and scream, it struck right in the middle of Shino's chest, and made them double over again. The noise continued, as unrelenting as the pain that they were trying to ignore, stinging as hard as the tears they were trying to push back. With some effort, they looked back up at the other three, tried to ask.

But when they saw the faces of the other three looking back at them in concern, and they found that they could not open their mouth to form the question, they realised.

The noise was coming from them.


	49. ED Song 3-Waves

The opening scene as the music starts shows the grounds of Hope's Peak at night. The sky above is cloudless, and though the moon is merely a sharp crescent, the sheer number of stars in the sky make the night a clear one, but still very dark, until suddenly, a small green firefly comes across the screen and flies straight past. As the camera follows it, the vocals of the song begin.

 _There is a swelling storm  
And I'm caught up in the middle of it all_

The firefly finds Yuki Shimada, her complicated braided hairstyle neat again, and her body no longer bruised, though there is a haunted expression on her face as she brushes her hands over the tops of the rose bushes. She is wearing a simple strapless white sheath dress that reaches her ankles, and her feet are bare. The firefly flies over her hand, making her pause and look at it, turning when it flutters off, and after a moment, she goes to follow it. A few more fireflies appear as Yuki follows the first one, disappearing off screen to the right, as a new firefly separates itself away from the group and flies towards the South Building, off to the left.

 _And it takes control  
Of the person that I thought I was  
_

This new firefly goes right up into the air, to the school roof, where Hana Otsuki can be seen standing by the edge, looking out, her face carefully blank. Like Yuki, her body bears no sign of the trauma she must have endured from her death, and she is also barefoot and wearing a white dress-hers is only knee-length, with an empire waist, spaghetti strap sleeves and a sash with a bow on the side whose trailing lengths are longer than the dress. The firefly here hovers right in front of her face, and when she reaches to touch it, it moves away, and flies towards the roof entrance. Hana hesitates for a moment, but then she turns around and walks away from the roof screen.

 _The boy I used to know_

The camera then switches to show the somewhat stocky figure of Haruya Izanagi in loose white round-necked t-shirt and loose white shorts making his way across the grass, hands in pockets and head firmly bowed. Yuki appears quite suddenly in front of him, walking in from the left, and this makes Haruya look up, just as another firefly comes by. Even in the dark, his light brown eyes are haunted, but when Yuki nods at him, his frown eases just a fraction and he follows her.

 _But there, is a light  
In the dark, and I feel its warmth_

As the two of them walk, they are gradually joined by Hana, who barely acknowledges them as she falls into line next to them and they follow the gradually increasing amount of fireflies across the Hope's Peak grounds. They walk past the willow tree, where another boy is sitting, knees hugged to his chest and head down, hair tousled. He is wearing a long-sleeved tunic and flowing white trousers. Hana pauses, and turns back, and the boy looks up. It is Isamu, and though he seems dazed, her accepts Hana's outstretched hand to help him up, and he cautiously becomes the next member of the group, who keep wandering.

 _In my hands, and my heart  
Why can't I hold on?_

The camera switches abruptly to show Risato Han standing in the middle of a grassy area, looking around her this way and that as she fiddles with her long hair, the circle skirt of her white halter-neck dress billowing as she does so, when suddenly, a firefly makes her pacing and spinning pause. It is then she sees that just out of sight, there is a brightness. As she swivels to look at it, more fireflies appear, and with them four barefoot figures in white: Yuki, Haruya, Hana and Isamu. She rushes towards them desperately, and they all keep walking.

Gradually, they arrive at the copse that hides the graveyard, and the number of fireflies increases. Yuki, heading up the group, stops, and the others pause behind her, looking hesitantly. But then small gold stars float out through the trees, and towards them, and as they circle around the teenagers, some of their caution starts to melt away.

 _It comes and goes in waves  
It always does, it always does_

Hana smiles and starts to spin around, while Haruya and Yuki both attempt to catch the fireflies and stars. Risato aimlessly wanders again, but gradually starts to dance, loosely mirroring Hana's motions as Isamu just laughs, trying to distract Haruya. As they become even freer, even happier, the fireflies and stars continue to surround them.

 _We watch as our young hearts fade  
Into the flood, into the flood_

They continue like this for a few moments, but then there is a flickering of motion by the graveyard copse, and slowly, their frolicking stops and they turn as a slight, dark-haired boy steps out, wearing a short white kimono, wrapped with the right side over left, He is surrounded by stars, and though his face is no longer sunken in and sallow, he is clearly recognisable as Eizan Hisakawa.

As the five stop to stare at him, he holds his hand up in a hesitant wave, then lets it fall to his side as he waits and watches, beseechingly. There is a small pause, and then Isamu spins around and rushes towards him, and the others follow as the chorus kicks in.

 _The freedom, of falling  
A feeling I thought was set in stone  
It slips through, my fingers  
I'm trying hard to let go_

They all sweep each other into a group hug, and appear to chat to each other, and though their words can't be heard, it is clear that all they want to say is spilling out messily, the words making them trip and stumble. Risato wipes discreet tears from her eyes and Hana weeps openly, and there are moments when they all inspect each other, as if to make sure they are really still there. Gradually, Eizan turns, and points into the graveyard, and he leads them in.

 _It comes and goes in waves  
It comes and goes in waves_

Here, there are only a few fireflies, and only more floating golden stars. Eizan points them out, and Risako and Haruya both manage to cup some in their hands, coming to a realisation as they do so. The group cross the graveyard, coming to the other side, which leads into the woods. They form a line, linking arms or embracing each other, backs turned to the viewer as they stare out at something ahead of them. The floating gold stars come to surround them, and gradually the group start to become translucent.

 _And carries us away_

Eventually, the six fade away completely, and all that is left in their place are the gold stars-both ones that were surrounding them, and new ones. The stars float back out into the graveyard, and presumably beyond, but these fade out too, until all that is left is darkness.


	50. OP SONG 2: FlashBack

**And here we have another OP song.  
I've been looking forward to sharing this for a long time, and now it is, well, the time! I put a lot of thought into the symbolism and stuff (there is a LOT of symbolism in this, mostly with the flowers), and I even took some inspiration from the original video of this song (all hail Akiakane, seriously). So yeah. Well. Hope you enjoy it, and hopefully soonish I'll have an actual chapter for you!**

* * *

The song opens with a scene portraying two figures standing in the rain in an unknown location that simply seems to be uninhabited land as far as can be seen. They are both holding large holdalls, and one has an umbrella to shelter them from the rain, and the other has a large raincoat with the hood up, and their backs are turned to the viewer. Though they look slim in build, the image has a slight blurriness to it, as if the viewer is standing in the rain with their vision obscured as a result, so the identities of the two cannot be identified. They start to walk away, but rather than following them to reveal their identity, the camera pans away, and gradually the scenery blurs even more until the vocals start.

Sonzai shoumei kotowatte  
Tachidomareba zattou de  
Housou shuuryou hajimatte  
Iki o tomete…mita

 _A proof of existence denied,  
Standing still in the middle of the crowd,  
As the broadcast reached its end,  
My breath…stopped._

The scene changes to become a large screen split up into a number of smaller screens, set in a grey background. Each of them plays a different scene from the story so far, in black and white, looping over and over: Mizuki walking to class on the first day, the riots, Azuki being threatened by the advisors, Hana running away from home, Keiko pleading with Minah, Emiko being transformed into Hatsumi with Azuki's help, Shino spotting the unconscious form of Eizan for the first time, Kumori talking to his classmates prior to what he had hoped would be a peaceful protest, Mihoko climbing out of the bush.

Gradually, Mizuki, in her school uniform, comes walking across in front of the screens, and almost goes completely past them when she pauses, and turns to look at them.

Mieru? Watashi kage o keseba  
Kono saita hana mo suteteshimaeru no ni

 _Can you see it? My shadow has vanished  
And this blooming flower as well has been left behind_

The camera then swings around to get a close-up of Mizuki's face, which quickly goes from thoughtfully watching to shock and surprise, and then the camera zooms out slightly to show that the background around her is black, and she is no longer wearing school uniform. Instead, she is in a black and white patterned kimono that is worn with the right side over the left . It is also revealed that now she is not alone, but standing in a circle with the other cast members, all their backs turned to each other. The camera then pans around to show each character quickly, giving no more than a brief glimpse but revealing that they too are also wearing some sort of black and/or white kimono, and that they are all holding flowers. Though all of them have red spider lilies, zinnia and cherry blossoms in their hands, Emiko also has a sprig of sweet pea; Kumori, Minah, Mizuki and Yuna have purple hyacinths; Sosuke, Sho, Kaneda, Shino and Kumori hold a rhododendron, Emiko and Mihoko have a snowdrop and a willow branch; Keiko has a dark pink rose whereas Mizuki and Mokomichi each have a single red rose in amongst their flowers; Keiko, Yuna, Mizuki, Mokomichi and Minah have tea roses; Shino has a tansy; Sho has a Lupine; Yuna and Kumori each have a purple lilac; Sosuke has a purple columbine, Azuki has a pine branch, Minah has an aloe leaf and Hana has a scabiosa.

Their expressions are mostly sombre, though a slight smile tugs at Sho's lips, Yuna's eyes are closed and mouth slightly parted as if in prayer, Sosuke seems completely blank, and Minah, Keiko and Hana all have tears welling in their eyes. Some look directly at the viewer as the camera sweeps past them, others down at their flowers or off in the distance somewhere.

This quick sweep around the circle of characters goes in the order Mizuki-Mokomichi-Hana-Sho-Emiko-Shino-Azuki-Keiko-Minah-Yuna-Kumori-Kaneda-Mihoko-Sosuke and then back to Mizuki again, at which point flower petals appearing to be from all the flowers sweep rapidly across the screen, as if clearing away the image to make way for the next one.

Kareru nodo o osaete yomigaeru  
Gizou

 _My throat runs dry and I try to recover.  
Those are just excuses._

When the petals do blow away, the scene is indeed cleared, now showing a range of photographs scattered across a table surface. The largest one in the middle is the group photograph posed for at the end of the DAYBREAK FRONTLINE sequence. Others show members of the group sitting together playing board games; Keiko in the lab, Hana being spun around by Riku; Hana, Emiko and Mihoko playing with Greg the cat; Minah shopping with her friends; Kumori at the circus with Hoshiko; Kaneda talking to Kagami; Kumori and Yuna watching the fireworks; Sho waving to someone as he walks down the school corridor; Sosuke sitting at his desk working; Azuki watching a movie with Keiko and Minah; Mizuki and Mokomichi kissing, and corners of other photographs whose scenes aren't fully discernible, but all clearly of happier times.

A flame appears at the corner of one photograph, and then another and another, and they rapidly steal across the photographs, turning them to ash, which is then blown away to create another scene transition for the approach of the chorus.

Uso o tsuita kono kokoro ga ochite  
Waraidasu anata ga  
Watashi no you ni  
Uso o tsuite

 _This lying heart fell  
and you burst out laughing  
Just like me  
You lied_

The scene that is shown portrays Emiko, looking around her wildly as film rolls unfurl and run across the screen, moving barriers portraying different scenes playing out over and over in a loop, in full colour. One film roll shows Hope's Peak going up in flames, while the other shows her pacing Shino's panic room, though in this she appears as Hatsumi rather than Emiko. Slightly to the side of her, a wavery, translucent mirage of the photograph in which she was seen laughing with Hana and Mihoko appears, and Emiko whips around, reaching out for it, only for the mirage to dissipate. She stumbles, then starts to run wildly, trying to avoid the film rolls shooting across the ground and above her. As she does so, her colouring and features shift until she has gradually and noticeably transformed into Hatsumi, during which time a new film roll has unfurled to show a scene of Hatsumi hurrying through a smoke filled street (replacing the one of her pacing in the panic room, though it is unrolling from the opposite direction). Hatsumi stumbles over this, and loses her footing this time, but in the process of getting up, she has seamlessly transformed into Mihoko. Mihoko brushes herself down and ducks beneath the film roll playing the scene of Hope's Peak in flames and then spins around.

There is then another seamless transformation into Kaneda, who instantly reaches out in front of him as he turns back around to face the viewer, for a mirage of him with Kagami. A new film roll appears, crossing over the Hope's-Peak-fire one, showing him looking at Kumori with a sober expression, pen-knife in his hand. Naturally, his fingers clutch air, and his eyes open in shock as he looks at his hand, before letting it fall back to his side and shifting into Hana, who starts to move but instantly trips over a new film roll which has appeared, showing Kumori standing at the collective Reserve Course gravestone with Shino. She shakily gets up and starts to run desperately. A mirage of her and Riku appears ahead of her, and she almost leaps to try and reach it, but the same film roll, which has snaked ahead, trips her up once again, and then when she gets up she has now become Shino.

Kowarete wa mata waraidasu  
Te o nobaseba kuzureteiku anata  
Mitsumeau nanika ga  
Makimodosarete hoshii no kirerukurai ni

 _And as you broke apart, you burst out laughing again  
If I reach out my hand towards this breaking you  
Something will look back at me  
I want at least to cut off it all and go back in time…_

Shino looks around them from left to right, feverishly, and though the film rolls near their legs seemed to have retreated for now, there is one above them that shows them sitting at a screen, smirking at what they see. Shino stares at it for a long moment, then, visibly gulping, backs away, only to turn into Kumori who crashes into a film roll behind him, with a scene of him waiting in the shadows as a group of unidentifiable teenagers walk past. He whips around and notices this one and another above him which shows Keiko and Sosuke apparently sneaking somewhere together, his face contorting in horror at the sight. Then, something catches his eye, and he looks slightly to the side to see a mirage of him with Yuna watching the fireworks, and he starts to look hopeful as he starts to reach it. However, it disappears, just as he turns into Sosuke, who blinks as he withdraws his hand, and then starts to look around him. He does not move very far, and he imperceptibly shifts into Keiko, who does move around more, starting to run, reaching for a mirage of Minah laughing but failing as a new film roll showing a scene of Kumori screaming at Sho cuts across it and obscures it, even as it fades away. The camera view goes around to see her facial expression, but at this point she has transformed into Azuki, who ducks and tries to lash out at a film roll that shows Hope's Peak students screaming as they rush out of the building. Much to his horror, his hand simply bounces against it, and as he rears back, he transforms into Sho, who turns around again and starts to run towards a distant mirage of him with Teruya, Hiro, Minah and Minah's friends, only for it to fade just as he gets near to it.

Misete misete misete yo  
Utsuridasu nanika ga  
Makimodosareteiku no tooi kioku ni

 _Show me, show me, please show me,  
Something that will create a reflection  
I want to rewind those faraway memories_

Sho then transforms into Yuna, who is crying as she looks as a film roll that portrays her fleeing Mizuki's house. She wipes her tears and reaches out with cupped hands to a mirage of meeting Mizuki in the library, but it fades and she falls to her knees in desolation. When she gets up, she has become Minah, who tries her hardest to not trip over or crash into any of the film reels, which now alternate between scenes already shown, which she does manage to do, ducking and twisting and turning with ease, despite how frantic her expression is.

At some point during her running, Minah transforms into Mokomichi, who stops and takes a moment to breathe. Clearly out of breath, he looks around him at the film rolls around him. There are more on screen now, obscuring his way, and though most are of the same scenes that have been shown already, there is a new one. This new one is of Mizuki crying while he stands there, trying to comfort her but clearly being helpless to do so. Mokomichi stares at this, and almost as if in a trance, he walks towards it, his hands reaching out to the moving image of Mizuki. A sparkling indicating a mirage starts to form just above him, but it isn't until Mokomichi has transformed into Mizuki that the mirage forms into one of them lying in bed together, smiling at each other. Mizuki gasps at the sight, but before she can react to it, it has disappeared, and the film rolls, rather than just snaking in lines above and below her, they start to coil and circle her, like snakes. Mizuki looks around wildly, occasionally starting to attempt to climb out, only for the coiling of another roll to make it impossible.

Hohoemu anata ni  
Kowareta watashi ni  
Ahh!

 _Of you, smiling  
Of me, breaking  
Ahh!_

With the film rolls circling in closer and closer around her, Mizuki eventually clamps her hands over her ears and cries out, hunching over, her entire body language trying to shut them out. The scream that she made breaks the entire scene, breaking it all like a glass window, Mizuki the centre of the wreckage. As the shards of this 'glass' fall away, a black background is revealed underneath, and swirling ashes and flower petals sweep in come to rest against it, gradually revealing the words "AND SO IT BEGINS". This title is shown in its full glory, with all the glass fallen away, for only the briefest of moments, before the song ends.


End file.
